Does the Rams' Stafford-Simpson approach make sense? Barnwell looks at 12 similar past situations

A team that came within a few snaps of advancing to the Super Bowl with a 38-year-old quarterback could have added a player to help get over the top and win a title in 2026. Instead, it drafted a long-term replacement for reigning MVP Matthew Stafford.

To some, this was a stroke of genius. Others had the same reaction Sean McVay appeared to have in his news conference after the selection, which landed somewhere between scorn and confusion. It'll take a few years before we know whether the decision to draft Simpson was a good one, but what we can say for sure is that this represents a very aggressive move from an organization that typically has no qualms about making those calls. They don't all work out, but the Rams have had more hits than misses under McVay and general manager Les Snead over the past decade.

The Rams, of course, are not the first team to draft their new quarterback long before their old quarterback was done. The Packers have made a habit of this very move before dumping their old quarterbacks on the Jets. Today, though, I wanted to take a more comprehensive look at the past. What happens when a team unexpectedly takes a QB in the first round with a starter already in place? How often do those moves succeed? And how long does it take before the guy who was supposed to be the long-term answer under center gets replaced by the new quarterback in town?