The Rams are heading toward training camp with a quarterback situation that still has one loose end hanging over it: Ty Simpson remains unsigned.
That matters because Simpson isn’t just any rookie. Los Angeles took him with the 13th overall pick, and the move stood out from the moment it happened.
He’s the first quarterback Sean McVay has personally selected since arriving in 2017, which gives this pick a different feel than the Rams’ other recent quarterback decisions. Matthew Stafford was brought in as the veteran who could push the team over the top.
Stetson Bennett was viewed more as a backup option for the long haul. Simpson, though, is being treated as the future.
For now, that future is on pause. Simpson is one of two quarterbacks still without a rookie deal, along with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Drew Allar.
On Wednesday, Carson Beck reached an agreement with the Arizona Cardinals, and on Thursday Fernando Mendoza finally came to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders. With those deals done, the expectation is that Simpson and Allar will follow soon.
Still, the Rams are now down to the wire. They report to training camp in one day, and if Simpson isn’t signed by the time the team takes the field on July 27, he won’t be allowed to practice at all. He can’t even step onto the field, and he also can’t take part in team meetings.
That’s a sharp change from OTAs, where unsigned draft picks can participate under a temporary waiver that provides injury protection. Once camp starts, that protection goes away. No contract means no reps.
And if this drags on far enough, the stakes get much bigger. Teams have until Week 10 of the regular season to sign rookies.
If Simpson still hasn’t agreed to a deal by then, the Rams would lose their rights to him, and he would be eligible to enter the 2027 NFL Draft as a rookie for a second time. He would not be able to return to college and would have to train on his own.
That scenario still feels unlikely, especially after Mendoza’s deal got done. The Rams have every reason to want Simpson on the field immediately.
They need him developing, learning the Sean McVay offense, and getting as many reps as possible. At the same time, Simpson has his own incentive to get this finished quickly.
Missing camp would mean falling behind in the backup quarterback battle with Bennett, and it would cost him valuable time in a system built around detail and repetition.
The Rams are counting on Simpson as their long-term answer at quarterback, but they also have Super Bowl aspirations and won’t stop moving if the contract isn’t signed in time. For now, though, the clock is ticking on the rookie who is supposed to be part of their future. Until the deal gets done, Simpson remains the biggest question mark in camp.
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