Sean McVay Opens Up About 'Grumpy' Demeanor After 2026 NFL Draft Pick

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay addressed his demeanor following the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, where the team selected quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick.

Speaking to reporters after the second day of the draft, McVay acknowledged that he was "grumpy" the night before, but stressed that his mood was not a reflection of the team's decision-making process.

McVay Clarifies His Demeanor

In a joint press conference with general manager Les Snead, McVay addressed questions about his demeanor on Thursday night.

"What do you guys think? Am I angry right now? I will say this, though, the one thing that would never be doubted is we couldn't be any more lockstep in every decision that we make," McVay said. "I get my demeanor last night, but we’re excited about it. There are different things. I always want to be mindful of how things come off and things like that. I’m very excited about last night and very excited about today. We couldn't be more excited about us continuing to lead together, but every decision that we make is collective and collaborative."

McVay added that he wanted to address any misunderstandings about his demeanor.

"For any of the questions or misunderstandings just 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 said, referring to Snead. "That was brought to my attention because I got so many texts. That was never my intended way to be able to come off, but sometimes I can be a little grumpy."

Why Was McVay 'Grumpy'?

McVay explained that his demeanor was not related to the draft selection but rather other personal matters.

"Well, there were other things that had nothing to do with that, which that’s normal life," McVay said. "The main thing was . . . I couldn't be more excited about being able to add him, but also understanding how much I love Matthew Stafford, how respectful you want to always be and to the way things can be interpreted."

He emphasized the importance of respecting Stafford's legacy and the transition process for Simpson.

"The demeanor would've been stoic by nature because you are excited, but by no means — it is Matthew's football team. I’m excited to be able to add Ty. What a blessing it is for him to be able to learn from Matthew and to be able to come into this atmosphere and environment. Whenever that time comes for him to get an opportunity to be Matthew's successor will be on Matthew's terms. I think that's really what the important thing was."

McVay also praised Simpson's character and football IQ, highlighting his potential as a future leader for the Rams.

"I didn't want that to ever be misunderstood while not minimizing the excitement for Ty and the buy-in. Les and his group really liked him. As soon as we started really studying him, there was a body of work, like I talked about, that was a good, fun evaluation. A lot of the concepts that we would activate. The guy is a football junkie and plays with the timing and rhythm. You can see that he's a coach's son. His journey is a fun one that he's been through."