The last unsigned first-round pick of the 2026 NFL Draft is no longer unsigned. The Los Angeles Rams reached agreement with quarterback Ty Simpson on a fully guaranteed four-year, $25.4 million rookie contract Saturday, one day before training camp opens, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The deal includes a $14.94 million signing bonus and a fifth-year team option exercisable in May 2029.
Simpson, selected 13th overall out of Alabama, had been the only first-round pick from his class without a contract as camps opened across the league. The holdout was never going to last — rookie deals are essentially slotted by draft position under the current wage scale — but the timing still mattered. Missing even a handful of practices would have handed an early edge to Stetson Bennett, the other quarterback competing for the backup job behind Matthew Stafford.
Now Simpson walks in on Day 1 with the same limited snap count as everyone else in the QB2 race. That matters more than the money. The $25.4 million was predetermined the moment the Rams turned in the card. The real negotiation was about offset language and payment schedules, the kind of contractual plumbing that drags into late July when a player is waiting on the pick directly ahead of him to set the market. Simpson’s deal reportedly came together after Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza signed Thursday, clearing the last logjam.
The Rams acquired the 13th pick in a trade-down with Atlanta during the 2025 draft, a move that looked shrewd when Simpson fell into their lap. Los Angeles went 12-5 last season and reached the NFC Championship Game, meaning they were drafting in the middle of the round despite rostering a reigning MVP at quarterback. Stafford led the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns, then signed a one-year, $55 million extension that keeps him under contract through 2027. The Rams don’t need Simpson to start. They need him to develop.
Sean McVay has praised Bennett’s offseason progress more publicly than Simpson’s, though that assessment came from a handful of spring practices — a sample size too small to mean anything once pads come on. Bennett knows the system and has the Georgia pedigree. Simpson brings first-round arm talent and a reputation for processing defenses quickly, the kind of mental trait McVay covets. The knocks: pocket awareness needs work, and he has to speed up his internal clock when rushers close.
There’s also a Jimmy Garoppolo subplot. The veteran backup has reportedly shelved retirement plans and remains open to returning if the right situation surfaces. He already knows McVay’s offense. If neither Simpson nor Bennett seizes the QB2 job in camp, the Rams could circle back — though bringing Garoppolo back would eat into the preseason reps Simpson needs to accelerate his development.
The only other unsigned player from the entire 2026 draft class is Patriots second-round pick Gabe Jacas, who did not report to New England’s camp this week while dealing with injuries.
Simpson’s deal was negotiated by Ed Berry of CAA Sports. With the paperwork finished and every dollar guaranteed, the Rams can move on to the part that actually determines whether this pick was worth it: finding out if a quarterback who couldn’t beat out Bennett in the spring can do it when the lights turn on.
Sources
- Yahoo Sports — Rams, 1st-round pick QB Ty Simpson reportedly agree to 4-year rookie contract
- Yahoo Sports — Ty Simpson agrees to rookie deal with Rams
- Yahoo Sports / Rams Wire — Ty Simpson finally signs contract with Rams just before training camp
- Yahoo Sports — Rams sign Ty Simpson to rookie contract
- Yahoo Sports / The Sporting News — Rams make $25.4 million Ty Simpson decision as training camp begins