The Denver Broncos have been one of the more teams active before the free agency period starts as they already released quarterback Russell Wilson. However, they were not done making moves as they announced the Broncos were releasing All-Pro safety Justin Simmons, making him an unrestricted free agent. This move frees up $14.5 million against the salary cap for the Broncos.
Justin Simmons has been one of the best safeties in the sport as he has been named as the second-team All-Pro at the position in four of the previous five years. Last year he finished with 70 total tackles (53 solo, 17 assisted), three interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one sack and eight pass deflections.
Do not be surprised to see most of the NFL scramble to add one of the best players in the sport but we have seen no shortage of safeties hit the free agency market. With Jordan Poyer and Jamal Adams being released in the last handful of days as well, teams looking for secondary help have a lot of options.
With rumors swirling around about the availability of players like Jerry Jeudy, it may be a full-blown rebuild in Denver.
What do the Denver Broncos do next?
The Denver Broncos are in a weird spot as when they hired Sean Payton before last season, they were expected to compete with the Kansas City Chiefs. However, it seems like the team is set to hit the reset button with the salary cap hit for Russell Wilson and releasing their starting quarterback and now All-Pro safety.
It seems like they could have traded him away and got some draft capital for a player of his caliber but the team decided against it. Hitting the reset button and building up to the next level is critical for the team going forward.
What kind of contract can Justin Simmons demand as a free agent?
Justin Simmons was in the midst of a four-year, $61 million contract with the Denver Broncos before this news came in. With the likes of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James getting north of $19.5 million, a team is going to splurge on Simmons as one of the best at the position.
He has been a ball-hawk as since he entered the NFL in 2016, his 30 interceptions lead the sport.
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