Sean McVay’s viral, seemingly miserable reaction to the Rams’ shocking first-round pick might have been more of a show for the cameras than most people realized.
After the Los Angeles Rams selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 overall pick Thursday night — a move that stunned much of the NFL — fans quickly zeroed in on McVay’s unusually flat demeanor during his post-draft press conferences with general manager Les Snead.
But according to ESPN’s NFL insider Peter Schrager, there’s no disconnect behind the scenes.
“As Much as McVay was doing all that, trust me — McVay is a Ty Simpson fan,” Schrager said Friday on ESPN’s “Get Up.”
Sean McVay’s (r) muted reaction during their post-pick presser. @NickHamilton213/x Head coach Sean McVay (R) of the Los Angeles Rams talks with head coach Dave Canales (L) of the Carolina Panthers after the NFC. Getty Images The comment offers a stark contrast to the optics that fueled speculation online, where McVay’s brief answers and subdued body language led many to question whether he was fully on board with the pick.
McVay appeared noticeably lacking in enthusiasm while discussing Simpson — a surprising departure from the high-energy tone he typically brings to media sessions.
But a separate reports suggest there may have been a calculated reason for that.
According to FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Rams actually informed veteran quarterback and last season’s MVP winner Matthew Stafford ahead of time that they planned to draft Simpson.
“The Rams talked about it, and they felt this was a rare opportunity at 13 to go get a quarterback,” Schefter said. “They were so convinced of their decision that earlier today, they called their veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and told him they planned to take Ty Simpson tonight.”
That context adds weight to the idea that McVay’s muted reaction may have been intentional — a poker face designed to avoid publicly celebrating the selection of Stafford’s eventual successor.
Despite drafting his likely heir apparent, McVay made one thing clear Thursday night: the present still belongs to Stafford.
“There were a lot of players that we liked… let’s make one thing clear, this is Matthew’s team,” McVay said.
Behind the scenes though, the Rams appear aligned on the future.
Simpson, a one-year starter at Alabama, threw for 3,567 yard with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2025, completing 64.5% of his passes. He’s expected to slot in begind Stafford as the franchise’s quarterback-in-waiting.
It may not have been the win-now move many expected from a Super Bowl contender — but the bigger picture is now clear — this wasn’t chaos, it was calculated.
Might’ve just been part of “the secrecy” of it all — to quote Schrager’s X post on the matter.
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