Matthew Stafford's New Contract Is the Best Outcome For Ty Simpson

On Thursday, Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams put to rest all speculation about his future in the city he’s already brought a Super Bowl, signing another one-year extension that will take him into the 2028 offseason.

Along with the established two-year contract, Stafford will be looking at a massive pay bump moving forward, as he can make up to $60 million with incentives.

While it was known that Stafford and the Rams were close to locking down a contract with more money to keep him as the starting quarterback for at least two more years, their recent first-round selection in the NFL Draft cast some doubt.

The Rams used the No. 13 overall pick to draft Alabama’s signal-caller Ty Simpson, who now appears to be set as the franchise’s back-up QB until at least 2028, where he’ll turn 26 during that campaign.

More news: Rams Asked Ty Simpson to Lie at 2026 NFL Draft - Here's Why

More news: Arch Manning Will Be Playing for This Team in 2027

Although unorthodox for most teams, it’s the best situation possible for Simpson, who only started a single season with the Crimson Tide before coming to the Rams.

Players with so little college starting experience generally fail coming into the NFL, and that’s because they are almost always thrown into the deep end. For Simpson, he will now get the reps and development needed for him to be ready for his chance to take the torch from Stafford, most likely in the 2028 season.

Simpson’s greatest superpower as a QB is his brain and mechanics, which will only sharpen under the tutelage of Stafford and head coach Sean McVay. He is also an underrated athlete with impressive mobility, which can be further developed and refined within a Rams organization that has done remarkably well with QBs over the past decade.

There’s a strong chance that Arch Manning, who is still a Texas Longhorn, leads an NFL team before Simpson does. But if the Rams have anything to say about it, when Simpson does take over the reins in L.A., it’s not going to be a case of a youngster fighting upstream.

He’ll be ready to continue what Stafford has done every year he’s been in Los Angeles: compete for the Super Bowl.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 7:49 PM.