Detroit Lions
To me, this is the best fit for Justin Simmons, as he not only leaves the conference, but gets to play for a Super Bowl contender. The Lions head coach is Dan Campbell, who was on Sean Payton's staff in New Orleans. The Lions roster has coaches who were once under Payton's staff, including defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
There is a connection here, and I don't see how this wouldn't be an amazing fit. Detroit has struggled to stabilize their secondary in Campbell's tenure, and they again did major work re-doing that unit this offseason. Simmons would bring a ton of experience and is still a top-5 safety. What am I missing here? Justin Simmons to the Lions makes so much sense.
Philadelphia Eagles
There might still be some bad blood between Vic Fangio and Justin Simmons. There seem to be rumors out there that Fangio was not popular among some of the Broncos defensive players, and that could be true for Justin Simmons. It could also not be true. However, the Eagles also have Christian Parker on their staff, who was popular among the Broncos DBs.
Simmons would likely get to experience winning football with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Philly did try the veteran safety route in 2023 when they traded for Kevin Byard. Philly also added a couple of rookie DBs in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean during the 2024 NFL Draft. Wouldn't a savvy veteran like Simmons being entered into the picture do wonders for the secondary?