The Denver Broncos cut ties with one of their fan-favorite players, and in the first year with his new team, he again missed the playoffs. On the flip side, Broncos' long-time left tackle Garett Bolles has been with the team since 2017 and is now experiencing a winning record and the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Bolles stuck with the team and wanted to be a part of the year that got it right, and I know many people in Broncos Country are overjoyed for Bolles in particular. Well, former safey Justin Simmons had played with the team from the 2016-2023 seasons. Denver cut ties with Simmons right after 2023 ended, and after a long free agency trip, Simmons signed a deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
Justin Simmons just can't get to the playoffs...
Initially, things looked great for Simmons and the Falcons - they were 6-3 and in first-place in the NFC South. They had also swept the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but then, Kirk Cousins happened. Cousins declined in real-time, and it got s bad that the Falcons had to bench the $180 million free agency QB in favor of Michael Penix Jr.
The Falcons sputtered to the finish line and finished 8-9 on the season. For Simmons, he has experienced just one winning season in the NFL, and that was in 2016, his rookie season. Simmons has never made the playoffs, and surely the idea of signing with the Falcons was to sign with a talented team who could win the NFC South...
The Broncos essentially replaced Simmons with Brandon Jones, who was one of the best safeties in the NFL this year and has turned out to be another homerun roster move by Sean Payton and George Paton. Justin Simmons was a fan-favorite for years. He was the best safety in the NFL for quite a while and an anchor on the backend of the Broncos' defense.
But the Broncos clearly wanted to get younger at the position, as they did not even restructure his deal to bring him back - they cut him outright. At the end of the day, it is Simmons' fault for signing with the Atlanta Falcons, and he'll now get to embark on yet another free agency trip. I would assume that this time, he would actually sign with a team that has a legitimate QB and has a chance to contend.
Honestly, a team like the Detroit Lions for the 2025 season would make a ton of sense, but free agency is still about two months away. Broncos' long-time safety leaves at the worst possible time, as Denver is back in the playoffs, and Simmons will again end the year on his couch.