Justin Simmons has been rumored to land with the Pittsburgh Steelers, though they have bigger fish to fry. Simmons would prefer to be with a contender so his options are limited, but there’s still some teams out there that could benefit from a former Pro Bowl safety in the secondary by sending him a training camp invite.
Simmons had an anti-climatic season in 2024 with Atlanta. It was probably his worst season in the NFL, though he still finished with two interceptions. He had just 36 tackles. While he’ll be 32 years old and not nearly as explosive as he once was, he’s the type of player that can be an asset no less.
Simmons has 32 career interceptions and been to the Pro Bowl twice. On top of that, he’s been an All-Pro four times, all with the Denver Broncos. When he left Denver, he still wanted to play, though he knew he would warrant nearly as hefty a contract as he did to stay in Denver before. Now he just wants to win and wants to play for a winner.
Which teams should look at signing Justin Simmons to bolster their secondary?
The Steelers are a team that’s gotten attention, though they’ll probably focus on getting T.J. Watt’s contract situation settled first before making any more signings. But in the AFC North, a team that could greatly benefit from Simmons is the Cincinnati Bengals.
They’ve had some major defensive issues the last few years, specifically last year, and a lot of that stemmed from poor play in the secondary. They haven’t found a reasonable replacement to Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell was always a temporary solution. Their corners haven’t been great either and Dax Hill hasn’t really developed into the player they hoped. Simmons could be a player that gives them a boost for a year as Joe Burrow is destined to not just win an MVP, but get back to the Super Bowl.
Cincinnati has a contract issue of their own in Trey Hendrickson so that might slow things down a bit as well. Other than that, Simmons might have to ride it out to see if the Steelers or Bengals will bite. Unless he would change his preference and be fine not playing for a contender.
He’s good enough to help any team whether they’re contending or not. Simmons might have had a down season in 2024, but he’s worth bringing in if you need some help in the secondary. The least he’s worth is an invite to training camp. Soon someone will see just how much value he has left.