Ex-NFL GM calls Rams rookie Ty Simpson 'a career backup'

Former Washington general manager Scot McCloughan isn’t sold on Ty Simpson‘s outlook in the NFL. On The Team 980, McCloughan called the rookie quarterback’s draft slot a reach and compared him to two other first-round quarterback busts.

“I think the quarterback from Alabama is overdrafted,” McCloughan said. “But it’s the position alone, you know. I think, not being a guru, but he’s like [Minnesota Vikings quarterback] JJ McCarthy. He’s like [former New England Patriots quarterback] Mac Jones. He’s a career backup.”

Those comparisons aren’t great given recent history, but the difference in context for each player is important between Simpson, McCarthy and Jones.

McCarthy started his second season in 2025 after missing his entire rookie season with a knee injury and looked awful throughout. He was injured and benched a few times, and there are now serious questions about his longevity in the league. Jones, meanwhile, started well with the Patriots as a rookie and made the Pro Bowl in 2021, but flamed out soon after with a new coaching staff. However, now in his sixth season, Jones is now a sought-after backup with the San Francisco 49ers.

Simpson is not expected to see the field until at least 2027, and he’ll get to learn under two of the best offensive minds in the league in Rams head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford.

So, while McCloughan is skeptical about Simpson, it sounds as though the young quarteback’s tools are less of a concern than the tendency for teams to push young quarterbacks into starting roles simply because of where they were picked.

“Ideally, he might start, but that’s because of where his pick was and they want to prove everybody right, you know, type of thing,” McCloughan said. “And that’s not the way you should build a roster. Not at all.”

That won’t be the case for Simpson, unless something drastically changes over the next few months. Stafford is back on a new deal and McVay has been adamant about the veteran’s role as the leader of the Rams for the immediate future.

But afterward, it seems as though Simpson will be expected to take over once Stafford is gone.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Ex-NFL GM calls Rams rookie Ty Simpson ‘a career backup’