After being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams with the 13th overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, Ty Simpson said he hadn't yet met Rams coach Sean McVay in an interview with SiriusXM.

However, the former Alabama quarterback revealed that wasn't true in an April 27 appearance on ESPN Radio's "Amber and Ian" show.

Simpson told program co-host Ian Fitzsimmons he "was told not to say anything" about the meeting and that the two parties wanted to keep it "private."

"We tried to keep this under wraps as long as we could," Simpson explained. "It was something to where I knew they were interested, but they wanted to make it private and didn't want people to know that they were interested.

"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."

Despite the secrecy, Simpson wasn't sure whether the Rams would select him in the 2026 NFL Draft's first round.

"I knew they were interested," Simpson said. "I just didn't know when."

Simpson further detailed the meeting he had with McVay occurred at Rams' facility. The 23-year-old quarterback described the meeting as "great" and that McVay's love for football shone through during their conversation.

"We just talked for hours and hours, and it was just football," Simpson said. "It was just straight football. 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.

"It's something that I appreciate, and it's something that I enjoy because I really enjoy playing the position and value the position. So, being with him and then getting to know him and then just seeing a little bit of how I would get coached if I was fortunate enough to go there was something that I couldn't have asked for a better situation."

Simpson's situation is expected to involve him beginning his career as the backup to reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.

McVay made it clear after selecting Simpson the Rams were still "Matthew's team" and that any decision about when the Alabama product might succeed him would come on "Stafford's terms."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ty Simpson, Sean McVay had 'secret meeting' before Rams drafted QB