Former exec says Rams QB succession plan could be 'tough to manage'

Despite all the recent explanations around the Los Angeles Rams' decision to draft Ty Simpson with the No. 13 pick, the dynamic between the rookie and entrenched starter Matthew Stafford might not start off the right foot.

Sports Illustrated's Andrew Brandt, who served as vice president of the Green Bay Packers from 1999 to 2008, said he saw how this situation unfolded firsthand with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers and then from the outside with Rodgers and Jordan Love. Brandt called these situations "tough to manage" because of "egos and insecurity."

"Matthew Stafford will sit in quarterback meetings every day of the season next to his replacement," Brandt said. "Brett wasn't thrilled about that, I'm sure Aaron wasn't thrilled about that, and I don't think Matthew's thrilled about that. Of course he'll put on a great face and Ty Simpson will say all the right things, but it's tough to manage. I've been there. You're managing egos and insecurity, and you're managing a true superstar in Matthew Stafford."

Rams head coach Sean McVay emphatically declared that the team is still Stafford's, but the decision to take Simpson signals the eventual conclusion to the Stafford saga in L.A. That could be in 2027 or beyond, but team will want to see what it has in Simpson at some point in the near future, much like the Packers did with Rodgers and then Love and what the Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes.

Now, Stafford might not have the same reaction publicly to this pick as other quarterbacks have in the past, but Brandt at least knows what has happened among the quarterback succession plans he's seen to know what could unfold in L.A. over the 2026 season.