Oct 11, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) runs the ball against Missouri Tigers safety Jalen Catalon (6) during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
Weeks before the 2026 NFL Draft, a potential destination for Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson may have been ruled out because of a trade.
The Los Angeles Rams are sending the No. 29 overall pick in this year’s draft, their fifth-round and sixth-round picks and a 2027 third-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for star defensive back Trent McDuffie.
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The Rams will have Matthew Stafford as their starting quarterback in 2026 as the 38-year-old announced he was coming back for another season during his 2025-26 NFL Most Valuable Player acceptance speech.
The idea was that the Rams would draft a replacement for the aging Stafford and have Stafford mentor the rookie until it was time for retirement.
However, with all that being said, the Rams have another first-round pick that they received from the Atlanta Falcons, so the possibly of Simpson going to LA is not completely off the table. It is the No. 13 overall pick, but teams are likely trying to do all the homework they can and address the most important needs first. A team like the Rams could bank on the 2027 NFL Draft class being better than this year’s class, or they could snatch up Simpson with the No. 13 overall pick.
Based on Simpson’s performance at the combine, he could be drafted late Day 1 by a team needing a new starting quarterback or if there is another team like the Rams searching for a replacement for an aging quarterback. Some NFL Draft insiders have declared that Simpson is the second-best quarterback in this draft class and further established that with his combine showing.
The New York Jets will have multiple opportunities to draft Simpson in the opening round. The Jets could take the non-quarterback route with the No. 2 overall pick and select a top defensive prospect or offensive lineman before taking Simpson at No. 16.
Simpson met with Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the NFL Scouting Combine. The speculation of Simpson going to the Rams came up for a few reasons like the uncertainty of how long Stafford will play until retirement and how Simpson revealed the longest play call he’s memorized, sounding like a quarterback that Sean McVay would love to bring to the organization.
Due to the Rams trading away their late first-round pick and not meeting with Simpson at the NFL Scouting Combine, it may be time to put the fantasy of Simpson in a McVay offense to bed.
Matthew Mason is a writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with three years of experience covering Alabama athletics. Mason, a junior at The University of Alabama, began covering Alabama athletics for The Crimson White in 2023 and became a Staff Writer in 2024 before joining TDA in May of 2025. Along with coverage of Alabama football, Mason creates video content for TDA's YouTube channel. Follow him on X at MatthewMason__