Ty Simpson welcomes the prospect of joining the Cleveland Browns

• Ty Simpson declared for the 2026 NFL Draft after a strong season with the Alabama Crimson Tide football
• Simpson has a prior connection with Todd Monken, who recruited him while coaching with the Georgia Bulldogs football program
• The Cleveland Browns have been mentioned in draft speculation as a potential landing spot for the Alabama quarterback

As the NFL Draft is drawing closer by the day, players who are soon to turn pro are openly talking about what team they would like to join, balancing between their personal expectations and the rumors swirling about who may be willing to cough up and get them on board.

In the case of Ty Simpson, he has little to worry about, as he is currently tipped as the second pick right after Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, with Alabama’s QB prospects quite good.

In a recent statement, Simpson responded to the circulating rumors that he may indeed be looking to join the Cleveland Browns and that the team may be looking to acquire him.

Simpson was musing on the Up and Adams with Kay Adams segment and was taking various questions from the host, who eventually asked him if it wouldn’t be cool to have him [Simpson] and Carnell Tate, a star wide receiver, join the same team.

Simpson's history with key figures in Cleveland comes to the fore

Simpson and Tate have been playing together for a while, and they seem to be an item when it comes to college football at least. Acknowledging the hint, Simpson said that it would be great if he could get to play with Tate again, but also added that it would largely depend on Cleveland’s management and coaching decisions.

Having two athletes who have previously synergized well and have pulled in strong performance, though, suggests that the Browns’ coach, Todd Monken, and General Manager Andrew Barry would have to decide this between themselves, and also weigh how much draft capital they can expend in order to make this happen.

Simpson’s star status means that the Browns will probably not be the only team that is willing to bid. There is another reason to believe that Simpson may be going to Cleveland after all - Monken actually recruited him for Georgia, and the two already have history, meaning that Monken would be in a position to gauge whether the quarterback would make a strong addition.

In such instances, coaches try to always do what is best for the team and keep their personal preferences in check. The recent failed trade for Maxx Crosby is a case in point.

The NFL prospect is looking forward to joining the league with the Browns

Crosby was supposed to go to the Ravens, but he is still recovering from an injury, and the Ravens’ general manager, EricDeCosta, had to back out of the trade.

"I’ve known him for a long time. And then when I got to meet with him at the combine, and on another visit, there’s just something there, a personality about him. He kinda has that chip on his shoulder to where he wants to take the league by storm," he added.

Simpson’s performance also speaks for itself. He threw for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns with just five interceptions in his first season as a full-time starter for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. He completed 305 of 473 passes (64.5%) across 15 games, finishing the year with a 145.2 passer rating, while also adding 93 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.