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It has been almost one month exactly since the Los Angeles Rams used a first-round pick to select Ty Simpson, their quarterback of the future and the eventual replacement for Matthew Stafford.
It was always going to be a waiting game for Simpson given the fact Stafford is still one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks and the Rams are very much in a win-now mode as a top Super Bowl contender.
That waiting game got a little bit longer on Thursday night.
Rams give Matthew Stafford one-year contract extension
The Rams announced on Thursday that they have signed Stafford to a one-year contract extension through the end of the 2027 season.
The one-year deal will pay him a base value of $55 million for 2027 with the potential to reach $60 million. It pretty much locks him in as their franchise quarterback for the next two years.
Stafford, who will be 38 years old this season, is coming off one of the best seasons of his career and won his first MVP award. He led the league in passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46) and helped guide the Rams to a 12-5 regular season record and a trip to the NFC Championship game.
While there is some concern over a late-30s starting quarterback, especially given some of the injury concerns Stafford has had in recent years, it is clear that he is still an elite passer when he is fully healthy and on the field. He gives the Rams a legitimate shot to win it all, and by adding another year to his contract they obviously see their Super Bowl window as being wide open.
That is what makes their first-round selection of Simpson so curious.
They obviously like his upside and would like to be prepared for when Stafford retires. But selecting him and planning for the long term doesn’t make the current team as strong as it could be when it is very clearly still in a win-now mode. That’s the delicate balance teams have to strike in situations like this.
The Green Bay Packers made a similar situation work (in two previous instances) when they used first-round picks on Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love when they still had future Hall of Fame starters on their roster (Brett Favre, and then Rodgers). It allowed for a seamless transition into the next era and continued competitiveness.
The Rams obviously want to duplicate that process.
The question is whether or not Simpson is the player to carry the torch in the post-Stafford era.
He will have two years to learn behind one of the best on the field (Stafford) and from one of the best on the sidelines (Sean McVay). It will be up to him to do something with all of that.
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