Matthew Stafford Sends Strong Message About Rams Rookie QB Ty Simpson

At the NFL Honors after winning league MVP last season, star quarterback Matthew Stafford announced that he would return for at least one more season with the Los Angeles Rams.

However, Stafford recently signed a contract extension through the 2027 season worth up to $55 million, and despite potentially remaining in Los Angeles for the next two years, the Rams still selected rookie quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round of the NFL draft - a move that caught many by surprise.

Despite the decision, it seemingly has not affected Stafford at all. Appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday night, Stafford explained that he is taking every opportunity to help Simpson develop while also offering high praise for the former Alabama Crimson Tide football star.

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"I'm in there with him in the meeting room, on the practice field, trying to share as much knowledge as I can," Stafford said. "Listen, I was a big fan of Ty when he was playing at Alabama. I sent him a text after he was drafted and said, ‘Really enjoyed watching you play, you were just wearing the wrong jersey.'

"I did enjoy watching him play… I'm going to do whatever I can to get this team ready to play and win, but at the same time share some of the knowledge that I've gained throughout my career because I wouldn't be in this seat right now talking to you guys after a really good football season if I didn't have people helping me along the way too. So I'm happy to do that. He's been a sponge."

Stafford is set to earn $40 million this season from the Rams, along with a $5 million signing bonus, and based on his recent comments, it sounds like he fully intends - at least for now - to continue playing in 2027 as well.

"Life is good… I'm happy to be in Los Angeles right now with the sun beating on my face and another year under my belt coming up and then hopefully some more football after that," Stafford said.

"It is something delicate, I gotta navigate the end of it and I'm not sure when that is. I want to be fair to our team, but I also want to be fair to myself and take this thing year to year, but at the same time I love playing."

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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 8:52 PM.