Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton seemed to summarily move on from Russell Wilson, but cutting ties with veteran safety Justin Simmons hit a lot harder.
"[I] t's difficult especially for someone like Justin who's really been a first-class player for the organization, someone who I know is respected highly in our league, certainly by us as coaches," Payton said via 9NEWS' Mike Klis. " That was difficult. That's the hard part of this job sometimes. It wasn't any fun."
It's understandable that Payton felt a real twinge of regret that Simmons had to be sacrificed for the Broncos to chip away at the team's overspending and front-office ineptitude of the preceding seven years. Such organizational fallout can run deep and be toxic, but Payton deemed it necessary for Denver to claw back the $85 million of dead cap money that was so publicly misspent on Wilson.
The Broncos could save $14.5 million against the salary cap by releasing Simmons, and it became a decision that forced Payton's hand. No coach wants to release a "first-class player," regardless of his relative cost. But desperate times call for desperate measures.
The jettisoning of Simmons leaves the Broncos short of valuable experience on the back end of the defense. Simmons' ability to get his defensive backs lined up was perhaps his greatest strength, so the gaping hole has to be plugged by taking some considerable leaps of faith.
At the safety position, rebuilding has meant putting the onus on more affordable youth. That was emphasized by the rapid signing of former Miami Dolphins veteran Brandon Jones, who, at 25 years old, is a crucial five years younger than Simmons.
P.J. Locke returns as a projected starter after the Broncos re-signed him, and Caden Sterns offers considerable upside for far less money against the team's stretched finances. However, major injury concerns will linger over Sterns — until he proves conclusively he can stay on the field.
Seven safeties currently sit on the Broncos roster, and the money saved by cutting long-standing ties with Simmons will cover all their respective salaries for the 2024 campaign. In addition, Jones' fairly team-friendly three-year. $20 million deal with the Broncos sits far more comfortably than Simmons' hefty financial burden would have.
Still, Simmons' positive influence off the field and in the community will be missed. Plugging the gap Simmons left behind will be confined to the field for now — until a charismatic new leader emerges that is.
Simmons is yet to find a landing spot as yet, despite reports of interest from both the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles. Simmons lingering on the free-agent market is a bit puzzling when you consider his prolific production and high moral character. Alas, the market has begun to cool for veteran safeties looking for big money, even the accomplished ones.
In discussing Simmons at the NFL owners meetings, Payton and the Broncos are only taking a brief moment to look in their rear-view mirror, and with the enormity of the task of rebuilding the roster at hand, that's probably a good thing.
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March 30, 2024 at 12:49AM
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Broncos HC Sean Payton Recounts 'Difficult' Justin Simmons Meeting - Sports Illustrated
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