Free Agent Safety Simmons Weighs His Options

The 31-year-old said he wants to commit to a team early to build rapport with his teammates.

Justin Simmons #31 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrates his interception against the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth quarter of their game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 16, 2024. Candice Ward/Getty Images

Free agent safety Justin Simmons has a lot of potential destinations, but is taking his time.

Appearing on the “Up and Adams Show with Kay Adams“ on Tuesday, Simmons and Adams discussed what he is looking for from a potential suitor. They also discussed several top teams that are in need of help at safety.

Simmons, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons late in the 2024 preseason, said he wants to commit to a team early to build rapport with his teammates.

The 31-year-old began the discussion by talking about his time with the Atlanta Falcons.

Simmons signed with the team on Aug. 15, 2024, two days before the second preseason game. He pointed out that at the time, Atlanta already had several established veteran leaders on defense, including defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, safety Jessie Bates, linebacker Kaden Elliss, and cornerback A.J. Terrell.

Because he missed the offseason program and part of training camp, and because he was on a one-year deal, he was forced to walk a tightrope between being a leader and building rapport with his teammates.

Simmons praised head coach Raheem Morris, general manager Terry Fontenot, and owner Arthur Blank. He also had praise for the Falcons’ two young safeties, Richie Grant and DeMarcco Hellams, both of whom played behind him last season.

Simmons said that there are pros and cons to signing late. The pros are building rapport, and the cons are the breakdown the body suffers from a long season, especially as a player gets older.

The conversation shifted from the Falcons to Simmons’ free agency. He said his priority was winning.

“I want to go to the best situation, and I want to go to a team that’s gonna win,” he said.

“The only attractiveness is a team that’s going to give themselves a chance to go to the playoffs and go win.”

Simmons said he is looking at teams “in the mix,” such as the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, and Cincinnati Bengals; Adams also proposed the Washington Commanders.

The Eagles could be an interesting prospect for Simmons. Philly traded safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans in March, and Simmons played under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and defensive backs coach Christian Parker when Fangio was head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2019 to 2021.

“Going to Philly with Vic, you know exactly what you’re getting out of me, and I know exactly what I’m getting out of them because I’ve been in the system,” Simmons said of the Eagles.

“I still have a ways to go to mastering it, but there’s some things and nuances that I know that Vic likes, that I know that Christian Parker likes, and I think I could really help in that area. Obviously them moving on from C.J. and what he’s poured into that city there is big shoes to fill, but I love what they have going on with [Reed] Blankenship and the rest of the supporting cast there.”

The other team Adams pitched to Simmons was the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are a perennial playoff contender, but lost safety Justin Reid to free agency. Having played formerly for an AFC West rival and being publicly antagonistic toward them, Simmons said he would much rather beat them than join them.

“I think—who was it— [running back] Josh Jacobs, a while ago that there [were] links to him when he was leaving [the Las] Vegas [Raiders] to go to Kansas City, he was like ‘No I want to beat them.’ And then he’s with Green Bay now. Honestly, I feel the exact same way. And so, am I shutting that door? Am I closing it? No, but like, I just want to be the team that beats them.”

Simmons was drafted out of Boston College by the Denver Broncos in 2016. He played eight seasons in Denver, earning 4 All-Pro nods and two Pro Bowls.