PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – “I’m a franchise quarterback”.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson Friday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. He said that admitting he needs improvements and took accountability for his mistakes, but made no doubt about the confidence he has in his abilities.
Simpson also said he had a ‘great’ meeting with the Steelers.
“Coach McCarthy's the guy, man,” Simpson said. “It was funny, we'd go in there, ask a couple questions, and we were just talking ball, going back and forth, talking about past concepts, talking about protection, talking about situations.”
“And it was cool to see all the quarterbacks he's worked with, with Dak (Prescott) and Aaron Rodgers, and then situations that's come up in his career that he asked me about what I thought about it. And it was really cool because we were just going back and forth.”
“And by the time that we were finished, it felt like five minutes just because of how much fun we had.”
“I love Coach McCarthy, love the Steelers, I love those guys, and I'm super excited to get to know them.”
Simpson would go on to discuss more about the meeting, describing it as just two guys working ball. They talked everything from footwork to formations. Simpson was asked about what he would do in different situations, in four wide receiver sets and two-minute end of the game scenarios.
“Whether I got their question right or wrong, it was still cool to realize like, ‘hey, this is what had happened, this is what the answer I was looking for, this is why’,” Simpson said. “And we would just bounce ideas back and forth to each other.”
“Like a guy like that who has had success in the league for a long time and is well respected. Any time that I get to sit in an interview and talk to him and just soak up all that knowledge.
“It's everything I could ask for.”
The 6’2”, 208-pounder completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2025, in a season where Alabama made the playoffs but got blown out by Indiana in a game where he threw for only 67 yards. He played through some injuries and didn’t play on a typical Alabama roster, but didn’t make excuses in his interview with the media Friday.
Simpson is mocked everywhere from the Rams at pick 13 in the first round, the Jets at 16, the Steelers at 21 or the Rams again at 29. There are also several scenarios where he lasts until the second round.
“No matter where I'm projected, no matter where I go, I know that they're gonna get the best Ty Simpson they possibly can.”