Former NFL Agent Offers Insight Into Ty Simpson's Rams Contract Dilemma

As the Los Angeles Rams get closer to training camp, their 13th overall pick remains unsigned. Quarterback Ty Simpson is one of two first-round picks to not sign his rookie deal and one of six rookies. Outside of Simpson, three of the other rookies are also quarterbacks.

The big holdup for Simpson, along with the other rookie quarterbacks, is that the Las Vegas Raiders have yet to sign first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. It’s very likely that Simpson and others are waiting to see how Mendoza’s contract is structured before finalizing a deal.

Ever since the NFL implemented the rookie wage scale, it’s been rare for rookies to miss training camp. The player’s exact deal has been known since the rookie pool numbers were released on April 28. There simply aren’t many negotiable items in rookie contracts. However, some of the items that are negotiable include secondary contract language such as guarantee payout scheduling, offset language, and voiding rules.

Former NFL agent Joel Corry offered insight into what could be holding up Mendoza’s contract and, therefore, the contracts of others behind him. To be clear, this isn’t a report, but rather insight based on experience. Corry noted that Mendoza is probably unsigned because of the difference between the recent trend for signing bonuses to first overall picks to come in a singular payment. According to Corry, this is something that the Raiders haven’t been doing with their first-round picks.

Why Ty Simpson Remains Unsigned

How does this affect Simpson and the Rams?

All six quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2024 draft received their signing bonuses in a single payment.

“Simpson's camp is probably insisting that the Rams extend the 2024 quarterback payment convention to him since he was drafted one slot lower than Nix,” said Corry. “Nearly every team besides the Jaguars and Rams requires offsets with salary guarantees for draft picks, including those selected in the top 10.”

Former NFL Agent Explains the Contract Holdup

Curry explains that an offset clause allows a team to reduce the guaranteed money owed to a player upon release by the amount of his new deal with another team. “Based on past practices, Simpson's contract with the Rams shouldn't contain offsets,” continued Corry. “The last time the Rams had a first-round pick, edge rusher Jared Verse in 2024, his contract did not contain offsets in the salary guarantees despite being the 19th overall selection.”

It all comes down to the language of the contract. Back in 2023, quarterback Matthew Stafford was on the verge of holding out. However, the two sides got in a room on the same date as the players reported to training camp and got a deal done. It’s worth noting that Stafford and Simpson share the same agent. Both are represented by Jimmy Sexton.

How This Impacts Simpson and the Rams

When it comes to the quarterbacks who have yet to sign their rookie deals, it’s very possible that all three of them are waiting on Mendoza. Once Mendoza’s deal is signed and the overall structure is set, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the others get signed pretty quickly.

The Rams are set to report to training camp on July 25. Given Simpson’s importance to the future of the franchise and the reps early in training camp, both sides would like to get something done before then.

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