Packers named top landing spot for one of best free agents still available

The Green Bay Packers were one of the great stories in the NFL last season. In their first season without Aaron Rodgers, they shocked the world and not only made the playoffs, but they won a playoff game, upsetting the No. 2 seeded Dallas Cowboys on the road before falling just short in the NFC Divisional Round against the 49ers.

The future is bright in Green Bay with Jordan Love looking like a star under center, and they've had a big offseason. Not only did they sign Josh Jacobs to take over their backfield, but they also signed 24-year-old rising star Xavier McKinney to a four-year deal.

The McKinney signing was huge not only because he fits in well with this young Packers team, but he fills what wound up being a massive hole in their secondary. Both of their starting safeties from last season, Jonathan Owens and Darnell Savage, left in free agency. McKinney fills one of those holes, but the Packers still could use another safety.

Fortunately for Green Bay, this free agency class was littered with some of the league's best safeties. McKinney was one of them, and Justin Simmons remains another. He could be a player Green Bay targets, with The Athletic's Mike Jones dubbing the Packers as one of the top fits (subscription required) for the star safety.

Packers could be the team that wins the Justin Simmons sweepstakes

When it comes to ranking elite safeties in the NFL, Justin Simmons is in that conversation. He was released by the Broncos, but that had more to do with Denver's horrifying salary cap situation than it did Simmons himself.

The 30-year-old was a Pro Bowler this past season, recording three interceptions and 70 tackles. He'd create an absurdly elite safety duo if the Packers signed him alongside McKinney.

Simmons is the dream, but the Packers really should be adding another safety whether they can land the star safety or not. With both of their starters gone, Anthony Johnson would presumably step in as the starter alongside McKinney if they did nothing. Johnson played fairly well in his rookie season, but was a seventh-round pick and appeared in just 40 percent of the defensive snaps.