New Broncos player basically squashes Justin Simmons comeback hopes

The longer the offseason goes along, the more shocking it is that former Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons is still unemployed by any team in the league. Simmons has been the best safety in the NFL for the majority of his NFL career, and certainly one of the most consistent players at his position over the last handful of years.

Simmons is still playing elite-level football as of the 2023 season, and the longer he's been sitting in NFL free agency, the more you start to think maybe he could just return to the Denver Broncos right?

On the surface, it does make a little bit of sense. The Broncos signed Brandon Jones at the beginning of NFL free agency. They brought back PJ Locke. There is hope that Caden Sterns and JL Skinner can contribute in bigger roles this year. Still, it's impossible to look at that group and not think Justin Simmons could still work.

Well, it seems as though newcomer Brandon Jones may have inadvertently squashed the hopes and dreams of Simmons possibly returning to the Broncos this year. Never say never, but here's what Jones had to say in a media scrum at Denver Broncos OTAs.

It's a really short quote from Jones, but saying that Simmons has left some "big shoes to fill" indicates that he ain't coming back anytime soon to fill those shoes again.

Although Simmons has been seen this offseason at Denver Nuggets games and he obviously still has a home in Denver, it feels less and less likely by the day that he's going to re-sign in Denver. The Broncos have seemingly moved on, and while an injury or other circumstance could change things in a hurry, these kinds of comments from Jones seem to indicate that the Broncos have moved on.

If you really want to know that the team has moved on from Simmons, just look at the fact that the team already assigned Simmons's #31 to rookie cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine. It's pretty wild, but there was actually such a significant amount of outrage over Abrams-Draine getting Simmons's number that Simmons commented on Twitter/X:

And there we have it. It feels like this chapter has officially closed. Again, you never say never because this is the NFL and things change, but as of 2024, Broncos fans are simply going to have to hope that Justin Simmons doesn't sign with an AFC West rival.