Former Broncos S Justin Simmons Linked to Landing Spot in Tampa Bay

After being released by the Denver Broncos, two-time Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons languished on the free-agent market for five months last year. He eventually signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, where he'd go on to start 16 games.

Fast forward to May of 2025, and Simmons is still out there. The Broncos don't really have room or a need for him in the wake of signing Talanoa Hufanga — not that there was ever anything tying Simmons to a Mile High return in the first place.

Looking around the league, though, there are a few potential landing spots that would be favorable for the four-time All-Pro. ESPN's Matt Bowen recently linked Simmons to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, floating two other possibilities along the way.

"Cincinnati and Carolina would also work here, but Simmons fits really well as an interchangeable safety opposite Antoine Winfield Jr. in Todd Bowles' defense. The Bucs played the most zone coverage in the league last season (71.7% of the time), and Simmons can spin to the post or walk down in Cover 3," Bowen wrote. "He's an excellent communicator with field awareness. Simmons has picked off 32 passes over his nine-year career, including two last season."

Entering his age-32 season, Simmons is still excellent in several areas, and he'll always be as good as it gets from a leadership, football IQ, and character standpoint. Those are valuable intangibles, but at his age, NFL teams are more focused on the tangible traits, in the face of the accelarting vagaries of Father Time.

Simmons' last year as a Bronco was 2023. That was Sean Payton's first go-round as Broncos head coach, and Simmons finished the season as a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro.

And yet, the Broncos not only moved on from Simmons, but it took until mid-August for him to land in Atlanta. Many fans had questions about the whole situation, but we know why the Broncos released him.

Simmons was collateral damage in the botched Russell Wilson trade and subsequent extension in 2022. It just took a couple years for the music to stop.

When Denver made the decision to release Wilson, the team was also deciding to move on from several established veterans, some of whom were under contract, like Simmons and wideout Jerry Jeudy (who was traded), while others were not, such as linebacker Josey Jewell. The Wilson release came with an NFL record $85 million in dead-money hits to the Broncos' salary cap, which meant the team would have to move on from some players to create breathing room, and it also necessitated that the team get skinny and young overnight.

It worked out well for the Broncos, thanks to some savvy drafting last year and excellent coaching from Payton and his staff, and while Simmons had a soft landing in Atlanta, it was at a discount, relative to what he was making in Denver. At his age, and based on the way the NFL values safety talent, Simmons will never be worth what he was making in Denver.

If the Broncos didn't have so much dead money due to the Wilson fiasco, would Simmons still have been cut? Perhaps not cut outright, but he probably would have still been approached about a restructure.

Either way, it's water under the bridge. Simmons is now in a mercenary situation from here on out, where he goes year by year looking for the most money from the best possible winning situation.

Because, yes, it's always going to be about the money in the NFL. But, outside of his rookie season, Simmons has never been on a winning team. And he's never experienced playoff football.

If he were to land in Tampa, Simmons would likely get the chance to play in the postseason, and in Cincinnati, too, as Bowen suggests. Carolina? Not likely.

Here's to Simmons finding another favorable situation, hopefully with a team with a legitimate shot at competing for the playoffs. A 2016 third-round pick out of Boston College, he was one of the best Broncos of the 21st century, one of the few bright spots on Denver's unprecedented losing streak following Super Bowl 50, and one of the most decorated safeties to ever wear the Orange and Blue.