There’s been a lot of talk surrounding how Matthew Stafford feels about the Los Angeles Rams drafting his potential successor, Ty Simpson, though we still haven’t heard from the reigning MVP himself. The Rams gave him a heads-up beforehand and let him know they were going to take Simpson, but it’s still reasonable to think he may not be overjoyed that they took his replacement instead of someone who can help now.
The good news is that Stafford did, in fact, reach out to Simpson and welcome him to the Rams after the draft, as did his wife. Stafford’s message to the rookie quarterback was a “funny” one, too.
Stafford, a former Georgia Bulldog, ribbed Simpson for playing at Alabama.
“It was funny because, of course, he was like, ‘Welcome, man. I’m super pumped,’” Simpson said Saturday, via Gary Klein of the L.A. Times. “He was like, ‘Loved watching you play, but you played for the wrong jersey,’ because he’s pumping up Georgia.”
SEC rivalries are no joke, and now Simpson is outnumbered by two former Bulldogs in Stafford and Stetson Bennett.
“So when I see him on Monday, I’m going to give him heck about that,” he said. “But it’s cool. I’m super excited, especially having him and Stetson in there, Georgia guys, and me, an Alabama guy, so I’ve got to stand up for myself.”
That being said, it’s the perfect landing spot for the young quarterback. He’ll get to learn from Stafford and get coached up by Sean McVay before potentially taking the reins as the starter in a year or two (or three).
It may not be an ideal scenario for Stafford as he approaches retirement, but being the leader that he is, anything besides taking Simpson under his wing would be a surprise.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Ty Simpson shares ‘funny’ message Matthew Stafford sent him after draft
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
