Justin Simmons has shown patience since his March Broncos release, but the perennial All-Pro safety remains unsigned two weeks into training camp. His closest post-Denver connection has emerged, however.
The Saints are planning to meet with Simmons today, according to NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill. New Orleans has multiple clear ties to Simmons, with Joe Woods having coached the former third-round pick in Denver. Saints secondary coach Marcus Robertson was also on staff during part of Simmons’ Broncos stay.
Woods’ Denver DC years (2017-18) overlapped with Simmons’ move into the team’s starting lineup. The Broncos parked the Boston College product behind Super Bowl starters T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart in 2016, when Woods was the team’s DBs coach, but jettisoned Ward ahead of the ’17 campaign. Simmons moved into the Broncos’ starting lineup alongside Stewart that season and remained there until Sean Payton’s first season with the club.
While Simmons has generated understandable interest, it is clear his market has not ventured to a satisfactory place. The 30-year-old defender — the NFL’s interceptions leader (30) since his 2016 rookie year — has seen the other big names on the safety market find homes in recent weeks. The Titans have added Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, while fellow cuts Eddie Jackson (Ravens) and Marcus Maye (Dolphins) also landed in the AFC.
Simmons has wanted to land with a contender, having never played in a playoff game. The Saints have missed the past three NFC playoff brackets, but they do have a veteran-laden defense — one that includes 2022 offseason addition Tyrann Mathieu at safety — and play in the lowly regarded NFC South. At this point, Simmons’ options may be limited. Although the eight-year veteran could continue to wait for an injury to affect his market, time is running out for him to catch on ahead of the season.
The Saints used 2023 fifth-rounder Jordan Howden during Maye’s injury- and suspension-driven absences last season, but Simmons would certainly be an upgrade. He started 108 games in Denver and resided as one of the NFL’s best safeties — a status that garnered him a four-year, $61MM extension in 2021 — for most of his Broncos tenure. The Saints hold just more than $11MM in cap space, and other established vets (Cameron Jordan, Marshon Lattimore, Demario Davis) join Mathieu on their defensive depth chart.
Nothing close to Simmons’ $15MM-plus-per-year Broncos salary is available at this point, but Simmons should be able to fetch a decent price — even at this juncture — ahead of another free agency run in 2025.