Sean McVay Explains Why He Was 'Grumpy' About Drafting Ty Simpson

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay got a lot of people curious about his state of mind over his less-than-thrilled response to the team drafting QB Ty Simpson of the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

McVay seemed rather grumpy in his Thursday night press conference and even indicated that he was displeased with the selection amid other needs the team had.

"There were a lot of players that we liked but when you do look at it, I think the thing you liked about the body of work - let's make one thing clear, this is Matthew's team," McVay said on Thursday. "You get a chance to address the backup quarterback, we've got Stetson (Bennett), we've talked about the importance of Jimmy (Garoppolo), so to add somebody you can evaluate a body of work where he was asked to play the position, and a lot of things that do translate in terms of concepts, reading with his feet… We'll be excited to get to work with him."

But McVay was singing a different tune on Friday. McVay said that he understood how it came off but made it clear that he's very excited to have Simpson in the fold.

"I get my demeanor last night, but we're excited about it. There are different things. I always want to be mindful of how things come off and things like that. I'm very excited about last night and very excited about today. Couldn't be more excited about us continuing to lead together, but every decision that we make is collective and collaborative," McVay said.

Doubt creeping in?

NFL fans didn't buy McVay's comments one bit.

"Yeah, I'm sure McVay loved a pick that won't see the field until McVay is getting his beard trimmed with a Wahl trimmer by the hair and makeup girl on the Fox pregame show..." one user on X remarked.

"So obviously Mcvay and Stafford aren't that close and their ‘friendship' isn't genuine. Otherwise no need for the theatrics," wrote another.

"So performative. McVay was a theater kid," a third wrote.

"He was not ok with the pick."

Ty Simpson is the Rams' quarterback of the future, but Matthew Stafford is the quarterback of the present. One can only guess how long that will remain the case.

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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 12:09 PM.