Ex-Broncos S Justin Simmons Speaks Out on Still Being Un-Signed

The former Denver Broncos Pro Bowler is trying to wrap his brain around his free-agent status with training camps about to stgart around the NFL.

Dec 4, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons (31) after intercepting a pass in the end zone during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

With NFL training camps just a couple of weeks out, former Denver Broncos Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons remains on the veteran scrap heap. Simmons continues to sit by the phone waiting for a call, but the 30-year-old safety isn't the only one living through the baffling 2024 defensive back freeze-out.

In the brutal business of the NFL, time waits for no man, but Simmons is at least determined to stay positive.

"This offseason has been such a blessing," Simmons said via The Denver Post. "I've had a tremendous opportunity in my eyes to regain some lost moments of hanging out with family, I've got to go to my daughter's dance recitals, and I've got to be home a lot more. All while training and staying ready so I don't have to get ready.

"One door closes and another opens and that'll open at some point here in the future."

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Perhaps the prime case in point is eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson, who, like Simmons, remains unsigned. Given his glowing resume, it's understandable that Peterson feels his free-agent status is more than a little bit odd in a pass-happy league.

"What do you think it is about the corners and the safety market at this day and age?" Peterson posed his own question to his co-host Bryant McFadden on his All Things Covered podcast. "We know it's a passing league, right? Why do you see so many high-caliber guys who've played at a high level— defensive backs—still free agents right now?"

Other high-profile defensive backs on the wrong side of 30, like Stephon Gilmore and Adoree Jackson, are also among the older players in the talent pool waiting until the levee breaks. It might take a few training camp injuries around the NFL to get the market moving for these defensive backs.

It's possible that teams have decided that youthful legs are more advantageous than veteran experience and football IQ, which would be the worst-case scenario for Simmons and his fellow over-30 DBs. On some level, perhaps the Broncos' financial motivations for releasing Simmons have influenced his drastic decrease in market value.

If Simmons and his reps really passed on some of the rumored interest the market showed in him early on in free agency, after the Broncos had released him, he's likely ruing that decision now. In order to continue his storied career, Simmons will have to accept that he's not as valuable as he once was.

Meanwhile, the opportunity to play for a Super Bowl contender may have already slipped out of sight.

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