Matthew Stafford, asked what he wants Ty Simpson to say about him years from now, promised guidance rather than distance — while making clear it’s still “his team” until he decides otherwise. Stafford enters the next chapter after a career-best season with 46
Ty Simpson didn’t just hear his name called at No. 13 overall in the Rams’ draft — he stepped into a storyline that left plenty of people surprised. The team selected him as Matthew Stafford’s successor. yet the organization has been firm that it’s still Stafford’s team until he chooses to hang up his cleats.
Simpson has already embraced that reality publicly. He said Stafford has taken a “big brother” role in his development, praising the 2025 MVP for being willing to answer all of his questions as he learns the job.
This week, Stafford appeared on Chris Long’s Green Light podcast and was asked what he’d like Simpson to say about him years down the line. Stafford’s message was both personal and practical: he wants Simpson to remember him as someone who set the standard the right way.
“Hopefully. he comes away with a guy who treated him the right way. showed him what it was about. what it’s like to be a true professional. and also be yourself. ” Stafford said. “I’m not some robot out there. Love playing the game — you see me mic’d up. I’m running around like crazy. doing all sorts of wild shit. and have fun with the game because it’s a kids’ game.
“But at the same time, hey, I’m here for him if he needs help.”
Stafford then tied that promise to his own responsibilities, emphasizing that his “No. 1 job” remains getting himself and the team ready to play at the highest level. If Simpson gathers information and learns through the process, Stafford said, it will benefit both the team and Simpson.
“I’ve said this 100 times — is to get our team and myself as ready to play as possible,” Stafford added. “And if he gathers information and he learns from that along the way, I’m fired up for our team, because that’s going to make us better. And I’m fired up for him.”
He framed the goal as improvement shared across the building — pushing everyone to do their best, keep getting better, and find ways to raise the standard.
“And, hopefully, he’s a guy that 15, 20 years down the road can look back and say, man, I really enjoyed my time with Matthew and learned a lot from him.”
The stakes behind Stafford’s words aren’t just mentorship; they’re also timing. Stafford is coming off what’s been described as arguably the best season of his career. He threw 46 touchdowns, leading the league, and earned first-team AP All-Pro honors for the first time.
With Stafford now 38 years old, the question for Rams fans isn’t whether Simpson is on the path the team drafted him for — it’s how long Stafford can keep delaying the handoff to QB-1.
Matthew Stafford Ty Simpson Los Angeles Rams NFL draft successor Green Light podcast Chris Long 2025 MVP 46 touchdowns first-team AP All-Pro mentorship
So Stafford saying “his team” is basically like… he’s not retiring yet? lol
I don’t even get why everyone keeps saying successor like it’s a soap opera. If Simpson is good he’ll play. If not, Stafford will still be the one everyone talks about anyway.
“Mic’d up running around doing wild shit”?? That sounds like he’s talking about himself more than Ty Simpson. Like ok bro be yourself but also set the standard like????
Stafford being “big brother” is nice but I’m side-eyeing the whole 15-20 years thing. Like is he gonna mentor Ty and then what, become an analyst on TV? Also the article said “46” and I’m confused if that’s a stat or the MVP year or something. Hopefully Ty doesn’t get overwhelmed.