Ty Simpson will participate in the NFL Combine while also having eyes on some teams. One of them is Cleveland, with whom the former Alabama QB already has a special connection. In fact, this connection also extends to his family through head coach Todd Monken. Simpson will definitely be hoping to create something rewarding out of it, considering how muddy his future looks in the NFL.

“Super smart guy,” the QB said of Monken at the Combine. “I remember him coming to my school in Georgia. He and my dad actually have a great relationship because he coached at Southern Mississippi for a little bit.”

Monken and Ty’s father, Jason Simpson, never crossed paths at the school. The latter played baseball for the Golden Eagles from 1993 to 1994, while Monken began his only CFB head-coaching gig at the school in 2013. This overlap will definitely have some effect, but Monken was already sold on the QB’s potential before the latter even began his college career.

“I like Ty a lot. I liked Ty when he was coming out, when I first got to Georgia,” Monken said at the Combine. “Really fond of Ty…Really good football player. fired up for him because in today’s day and age, for him to stay as long as he did at Alabama and then get a chance to be the starting quarterback is pretty cool.”

What couldn’t happen then for Monken can definitely happen now. Simpson presents a mixed bag for NFL teams, having wowed them in the first half of the season but dropping off towards the end. But Cleveland, which is still unsure about their own quarterbacks, is “interested” in Simpson, insider Mary Kay Cabot reported.

In-house QBs Sheduer Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are still hungry for more starting experience after their debuts fizzled out last year. Then there’s also the question of veteran Deshaun Watson. Adding Simpson to the mix sounds risky for both Cleveland and the QB, who will likely sit out his first year at any NFL team. Cleveland may not use its No. 6 pick on Simpson, but No. 24 could very well go to him.

However, there are some potential red flags to consider. Simpson is less experienced as a starter than other top QBs in the draft. The quarterback has a good arm, but his passing game took a hit in three of the last four games of the season. The receivers dropping catches also played a part, but Simpson wasn’t free of blame either. His completion rates were 54.3% and 48.7% in the Auburn and Georgia (SEC Championship) games, respectively.

And the glaring issue of his health. Simpson dealt with a cracked rib and had problems in his elbow and back. The QB also alarmingly lost 15 pounds in the latter part of the season due to gastritis. Simpson never revealed his illness to the public; it was NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The weight loss was drastic and was clearly visible in those last few games. Gastritis causes nausea, which makes it difficult to maintain weight.

So, 2025 was a weird combination of highs and lows for Ty Simpson. Despite all of this, Simpson still has all the love for his Alabama team.

Ty Simpson ‘proud’ of his Alabama team

The Tide had a job to do in 2025, after navigating an extremely tough first season with Kalen DeBoer at the helm. Simpson was a big reason why the program was able to reclaim some of its lost glory in that early part of the season, but he couldn’t hold on to it. Still, the QB was happy to have done it all with the 2025 Alabama team.

“I’m really proud of the team. I’m not taking anything away from our team and what they did, right? Like, you know, we won a playoff game on the road, coming down 17-0. We went to the rollercoaster. We went to the SEC Championship. That’s a long season, guys.”

“I’m not trying to make an excuse by any means, but the fact that we started off the season the way we did, and went all the way down and had a really good game stretch. Super proud of my teammates and super happy for what they did.”

Simpson himself is taking a massive gamble in his career by entering the draft with the cards that he has been dealt. He was no doubt an important part of Alabama’s campaign this year, but his highlight reel alone is doing the talking for him. In such a scenario, Simpson will welcome any team that is interested in him. That’s why he will really count on Todd Monken opening a door for him to the NFL.