Sean Mcvay Downplays 'grumpy' Demeanor After Rams' Selection Of Ty Simpson, Embraces Gm Les Snead

People had questions about Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay’s demeanor after the most controversial pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. McVay had answers on Friday.

The Rams head coach opened his news conference after Day 2 of the draft by acknowledging the attention he received the previous night. He had been described by media members as “muted” and “mad” over the selection of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall, seemingly setting up a successor for Matthew Stafford.

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As he took his seat, he asked reporters, “What do you guys think, am I angry right now?” He then cracked a smile and told them he had no issue with the pick or Rams general manager Les Snead, who was seated next to him:

“I will say this, though. The one thing that would never be doubted is we couldn’t be in more lockstep in every decision that we make. I get my demeanor last night, and so … we’re excited about it. There’s different things I think we always want to be mindful of, how things come off, things like that.

“Very excited about last night, very excited about today. Couldn’t be more excited about us continuing to lead together. Every decision that we make is collective and collaborative. For any of the questions or misunderstandings based on my demeanor or disposition last night, I did want to get that out of the way. This is my buddy right here.”

He punctuated that last point by patting Snead on the back, to the laughter of reporters.

McVay then said he had received several texts about the matter and admitted he “can be a little grumpy,” but didn’t mean to come off that way.

When asked why he was grumpy McVay said it was because of other matters then explained that, if anything, he was just trying to not look too eager about replacing Stafford:

“There was other things that had nothing to do with that, that’s normal life. The main thing was I couldn’t be more excited about being able to add him, but also understanding of how much I love Matthew Stafford, how respectful you want to always be to just the way things can be interpreted. The demeanor would have been stoic by nature because you are excited, but it is Matthew’s football team.”

We’ll see if that’s it for drama around the Rams’ leadership.

What’s more important is how the team handles Simpson and Stafford, as that’s the sort of situation that has to be handled delicately. McVay and the Rams have so far been firm that they want Stafford to keep playing as long as possible and drafted Simpson only to be ready for Stafford’s retirement, but that commitment can obviously change when the games are being played.

The Simpson pick was the biggest surprise of Day 1, to the point that Simpson already has something to prove in the NFL. He performed well at Alabama, but faces questions about his play down the stretch last year, injuries and some of his physical traits, most notably an arm talent that doesn’t seem to compare to Stafford’s.

Yahoo Sports’ Charles McDonald wasn’t a fan of the pick, giving it the only “F” grade of the first round and calling it “wild.”