The Rams-49ers rivalry was already spicy enough.
But after Thursday nights opening press conferences following the 20206 NFL draft, the battle between the two division rivals just got a lot more intense.
When speaking with media, 49ers GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan were asked their thoughts on what the Rams did: selecting Alabama QB Ty Simpson with the No. 13 overall pick in the most shocking move of the first round — by far.
In a moment that’s now going viral, Lynch didn’t even wait for the question to finish before flashing a huge grin, a small chuckle and looking away. Shanahan was a little more composed, but he also had a slight smirk before looking at Lynch to see his boss’s reaction.
As if that wasn’t enough, Lynch responded to the question in a very diplomatic manner. But the whole time, it was apparent he was trying to keep from laughing.
“Well, I think, first of all, another team in our division that a got a player who is gonna [be an] impact. I’m talking about Jeremiyah Love, a fantastic player,” Lynch said. “Ty Simpson’s a good football player. You know, I think there was a lot made as to where he would go and what teams would do that probably surprised everybody, but one think I’ve learned over the years is that with qurterbacks, people will do those things. And they [Rams] certainly did, so we’ll see.
However, Lynch and Shanahan aren’t the only ones to have interesting reactions when asked about Simpson.
In a video that’s gone viral, Rams head coach McVay showed shockingly little enthusiasm when discussing Simpson during LA’s press conference Thursday night. He seemed annoyed for most of the press conference, rarely smiling and lacking the normal zeal and passion he usually speaks with.
These two teams are set to open the 2026 season against one another in Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
