Ty Simpson said he is a “franchise quarterback.” 

But are the Jets that franchise? 

“If I have the opportunity to play in New York,” Simpson said Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine, “they’re going to get the best Ty Simpson.” 

Take flight with the Jets

Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.

The Jets hold four of the first 44 picks in the draft, including No. 2, No. 16 and No. 33. 

The expectation is that the Jets will choose between pass rushers David Bailey, Arvell Reese and Rueben Bain Jr. at No. 2, but the search for fresh hope at starting quarterback could lead general manager Darren Mougey, head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Frank Reich to Simpson as early as No. 16. The Jets’ brass and the Alabama product met at the Combine. 

“It was great just talking ball,” Simpson said. “Coach Reich is a great, great human being. Coach Glenn is a super juiceful guy. Installing some [plays] and getting to know each other and getting on the [white] board is what I like. I really love the Jets.” 

The “best” of Simpson was on display early in his only season as a starter at Alabama. During an 8-1 start, he completed 66.9 percent of his passes with 21 touchdowns and one interception. 

Simpson’s play tailed off late in the season — 60.5 percent completion rate, seven touchdowns and four interceptions during a 3-3 finish — but he still entered the Combine as the consensus No. 2 quarterback in the draft class, b ehind projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. 

“I’m ready. I’m a franchise quarterback,” Simpson said. “Alabama prepares you most for the NFL. I’ve run an NFL-type system. It definitely prepared me for saying those long play calls, saying those checks, making sure that I get us in the right [offensive line] protection. I’ve played against really good NFL players. The Alabama locker room was as close to an NFL locker room as you can get.” 

The knock on Simpson is that he only made 15 career starts (all last season) over a four-year career. The five-year history of first-round quarterbacks who made fewer than 25 career college starts is alarming: Justin Fields, Mac Jones, Trey Lance and Anthony Richardson. 

But Simpson said underclassman scout-team reps against an Alabama defense littered with NFL stars like pass rushers Will Anderson and Dallas Turner and cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry was preparation that can’t be overlooked. 

“If you take that small sample size of those good games early in the year, you can get excited about him,” said NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout. “I looked at all of his third-and-7 throws, it was not an Alabama supporting cast that you are accustomed to seeing. There is a lot of pressure on him, there is not a lot of uncovering down the field. You can excuse away maybe some of the drop-off in performance late. You can’t run away from the limited number of starts, the track record there has not been good. But you can find really good tape on him, so there is intrigue.” 

Simpson has a chance to direct scouts’ attention back to his arm talent Saturday when he throws at the Combine while Mendoza is a spectator who will save his workout for Indiana’s Pro Day. Simpson exited Alabama’s College Football Playoff loss to Mendoza’s Hoosiers with a cracked rib, tried to return and had to call it off after three plays. 

“I am 100 percent healthy,” Simpson said. “That’s why I decided to throw, and excited about it.” 

The 2027 draft is expected to be rich with high-end quarterbacks — including Oregon’s Dante Moore, whose surprise decision to return to Eugene opened the path for Simpson to slide up 2026 draft boards. 

The Giants found their franchise quarterback (Jaxson Dart) on a trade up from No. 34 in the second round to No. 25 in 2025. The Jets have the extra draft capital to select other prospects at No. 2 and No. 16 and still trade up from No. 33 into the back of the first round, but the Rams, Steelers, Browns and Cardinals pose competition in that same range. 

As the son of a coach — dad Jason Simpson is the head coach at the University of Tennessee-Martin — Ty already sounds familiar with the script for a franchise quarterback to fall on the sword during the tough times of an NFL rebuild. 

“I definitely think I have to play better,” Simpson said of Alabama’s disappointing finish. “I have to have accountability in that. I have to make sure that we win those big-time games.” 

The Jets’ first step is to play big-time games again.