Ty Simpson, the Alabama quarterback the Los Angeles Rams took at No. 13 overall in April, remains unsigned 52 days after his name was called. He is one of 13 first-round picks from the 2026 NFL Draft still without a contract, a cohort that includes two top-20 selections and five quarterbacks. Rookie minicamps wrapped last week. Training camp opens July 23rd.
The delay is procedural, not financial. The NFL's rookie wage scale fixes Simpson's four-year deal at roughly $17.2 million fully guaranteed, with a $9.8 million signing bonus. What remains is offset language—whether the Rams can recoup guaranteed money if they cut Simpson and another team signs him—and workout bonus timing. Simpson's agent, Jimmy Sexton, has closed 11 first-round deals since 2019; 9 of them settled within 60 days of the draft. The Rams have signed 14 of their 17 other 2026 picks, including fourth-rounder Malik Washington, their second quarterback taken 90 spots after Simpson.
The holdup matters because Simpson was drafted to compete, not sit. The Rams released Matthew Stafford in March after his $97 million extension talks stalled, clearing $31 million in cap space and handing Simpson a clean depth chart. The team's only other rostered quarterback is Jimmy Garoppolo, signed to a one-year, $6.5 million prove-it deal in free agency. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur installed a new play-action system in OTAs; Simpson missed all 10 sessions. Garoppolo took 89% of first-team reps. Sean McVay told reporters June 3rd that the competition "starts when everyone's here," but the calendar is compressing. The Rams open against the Cowboys on September 7th, giving Simpson 11 weeks to close a gap that grows each day Garoppolo runs the ones unopposed.
The broader unsigned group—13 of 32 first-rounders—is the largest late-June cohort since 2018, when 16 picks remained out through the first week of July. That year, all signed before training camp, but five missed at least 4 practices. The current group includes edge rushers, offensive linemen, and 5 quarterbacks, a position where reps are currency. Agents are betting the clubs blink first as camp nears, but the wage scale limits leverage. Worth noting: the Rams' 2025 first-rounder, edge Byron Murphy, signed on Day 41 last year and arrived at camp 6 pounds lighter than his listed weight, a detail McVay mentioned twice in August pressers.
Rams sponsors are watching the Simpson situation with specific interest. SoFi, the stadium naming-rights partner locked in through 2038 at $30 million annually, has quarterback activation clauses in its deal—Simpson was featured in SoFi's draft-night Instagram carousel with 2.1 million impressions, but no follow-up content has posted since. Fanatics, which holds the team's retail license, printed 4,200 Simpson jerseys in April; 1,800 remain in inventory, per a person familiar with the numbers. Jersey sales spike in the 72 hours after a player's first camp practice; the Rams' first practice is July 24th.
The deal will close. Sexton and Rams VP of Football Operations Les Snead have negotiated 7 contracts together since 2016, including Jared Goff's 2020 extension. The question is whether Simpson signs in time to attend the Rams' July 18th quarterback school, a three-day film session McVay runs for all QBs before camp. Garoppolo attended last week. Simpson did not. His next scheduled appearance: July 23rd, the night before pads go on.
The takeaway
Rams QB Simpson still unsigned **52** days post-draft as Garoppolo takes **89%** of first-team reps; **13** first-rounders out, largest June cohort since 2018.
nfl draftlos angeles ramsty simpsoncontract negotiationquarterback competitionrookie holdouts
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