The Green Bay Packers were dormant on Night 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft after selling the farm for Micah Parsons. And with the Dallas Cowboys reaching at pick No. 20 to find a Parsons replacement, that trade looks better and better every day.
But Packers fans still had a lot of interest in how Round 1 shook out, mainly as it pertained to their division rivals. While the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears made solid picks for their franchises, the Minnesota Vikings made a head-scratching decision at No. 18, gambling on Caleb Banks.
And yet somehow, in the midst of all of that, one other thing surely caught the eye of the Green Bay faithful. The Los Angeles Rams ended up picking Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 overall pick, which is not only ill-advised but a bit of déjà vu for the Cheeseheads.
Rams taking Ty Simpson in Round 1 is a repeat of Packers' bungled Aaron Rodgers succession plan
For years, Green Bay never took an offensive skill position player to make Aaron Rodgers' life any easier. When they finally decided to make a splash on that side of the ball to squeeze out another Lombardi Trophy at the end of his Packers tenure, they actually picked his replacement: Jordan Love.
Packers fans can still remember that uneasy feeling of hearing Love's name on the broadcast. And while Love has turned out to be a good NFL quarterback, Green Bay didn't win a Super Bowl, and it alienated a franchise legend in the process.
Surely, Sean McVay and Les Snead would learn from that mistake, right? After all, the Shanahan-tree guys always keep their eyes on each other. But the Rams picked Matthew Stafford's replacement on Thursday night instead of giving him a weapon to push for another championship, repeating history.
On the one hand, Green Bay fans have to be thrilled about this. Los Angeles is a perennial contender in the NFC, and them not making a win-now move paves a clearer path for the Packers. On the other hand, it's like a traumatic flashback, and fans can only wonder what this will do for Stafford.
Much like Rodgers was when Love was drafted, Stafford is coming off an MVP season in which his team came up short of a title. Nearing the end of his NFL rope (or at least Rodgers seemed to be at the time), Stafford needed help. Not a chore of being a mentor to a wildly undeveloped Simpson.
Making matters a bit sweeter for Packers fans was the fact that McVay did not look thrilled about the selection. Perhaps there is some trouble in paradise, and Green Bay can have an easier time getting going in a tough NFC with one key foe now fighting an internal battle.
It may work out for the Rams. They're a great franchise with boatloads of talent and adept coaching. But the Packers haven't exactly gotten closer to a ring with Love than they have with Rodgers in his later years, so Los Angeles should have learned that perhaps it wasn't worth it, no matter how good Simpson becomes.
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