The plot thickens over the Los Angeles Rams’ selection of former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Rams head coach Sean McVay presented a disgusted response for the cameras after the Rams took Simpson with the 13th overall pick on Thursday, April 23. He said he didn’t do homework on Simpson, nor meet with him in person.

Au contraire, at least according to Simpson. During a Monday appearance on ESPN Radio, Simpson detailed a secret predraft meeting with McVay. The pair talked for “hours and hours” about football, he said.

MORE: How Giants Younghoe Koo’s viral botched kick vs. Patriots saved NFL fan’s life

“So, I had some secret meetings with Coach McVay, and I just was trying to be on script and do what everybody told me and not to tell anybody,” Simpson told host Ian Fitzsimmons.

Understandably, the Rams kept their interest in Simpson close to the vest. They didn’t want another team trying to trade up ahead of them.

But McVay felt compelled to address concerns about his unenthusiastic reaction to the Simpson pick. He said he was being respectful to current Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who led Los Angeles to a Super Bowl victory four years ago.

On Thursday, Simpson downplayed his predraft interactions with the Rams. He changed the narrative on Monday.

“It was just straight football,” Simpson said of his meeting with McVay. “And it was like a kid in a candy store. Me and him are sitting there, and we’re just going back and forth. You can tell the obsession he has for the game, and you can tell the love he has for quarterback play.”

Simpson completed 305 of 473 passes for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions in his first season as a full-time starter for the Crimson Tide. He will enter training camp as a clear backup to the 38-year-old Stafford, the AP NFL MVP in 2025.