By Mallory Mattingly
Last season, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Matthew Stafford returned to the NFL after he was released by the Lions.
Though he signed a new one-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams, he understands why the Rams also signed 25-year-old quarterback Ty Simpson.
The 39-year-old veteran did not go into detail about what he and head coach Sean McVay talked about after the Rams drafted Simpson, but Stafford was grateful McVay talked with him.
“I’m not going to get into what our conversation was. I appreciate him talking with me about those things. We have constant dialogue and a great relationship, so I appreciate that,” Stafford told NBC Sports. “I understand where the team’s coming from. Listen, I’m not 25 years old, and I get that. We’re doing everything we can to be as good a football team as we can for now, for the future, for all of it.”
As of right now, Stafford is the Rams QB1, but that isn’t stopping him from helping Simpson prepare for his rookie campaign as well as get the entire team ready for the 2026 season.
“My job first and foremost is to get myself and our team ready to play as best as I possibly can. He’s a part of that team. We’re in a unique position in that we play the same position. I have a ton of experience and he’s just now starting his journey as an NFL player,” the quarterback said of Simpson. “He’s a guy that asks questions. I’ve been trying to answer those as honestly and as thoroughly as I possibly can.”
“I’m happy to add good players to our team,” Stafford added. “He’s one of them. But my job is go out there and get myself and our team as ready to play as I possibly can.”
Stafford re-signed with the Rams on a “rolling guarantee” contract after the 2026 and 2027 seasons, according to the NFL.
This means that “the first is in March 2027, when Stafford’s $45 million base salary for the ’27 season and a $5 million roster bonus for 2028 become fully guaranteed on the third day of the new league year. In short, the Rams and Stafford will have to decide if they’ll continue working together in 2027 in March, eliminating the possibility of a contract standoff extending into April or May.”
Despite entering the twilight of his career with a newly structured, year-by-year contract, Stafford remains fully committed to leading the Rams in 2026 while actively mentoring rookie Simpson for the franchise’s future.
Read Next: What We Know About Rams QB Matthew Stafford’s NFL Future
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