The Atlanta Falcons have to be taken as a serious threat not only to win the NFC South but the Super Bowl as well. For the second time in 24 hours, the Falcons have made a game-changing splash, and are showing just how serious and dedicated they are about contentending in 2024.
Justin Simmons’ drawn out free agency period has led him to a new landing spot, Atlanta.
The Falcons signed free agent safety Simmons, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, to a one-year, $8 million deal Thursday, Athletes First, which represents Simmons, announced Thursday.
NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Thursday, according to sources that of the $8 million, $7.5 million is fully guaranteed. He will team up with fellow Pro Bowler Jessie Bates III to form one of the most lethal safety combinations in the NFL.
“Come join and get on the wave,” Bates said Thursday, prior to Simmons’ signing, of any prospective Falcons. “We’ve got a lot of good stuff going here in Atlanta.”
After Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos released Simmons in an effort to create salary cap space in March, the two-time Pro Bowler spent the entire offseason wandering through the minefields of a complicated free agency process. Recently, he took official visits with two NFC South clubs, New Orleans Saints and the Falcons, before deciding he would play his ninth NFL season with Raheem Morris’ Falcons.
Embed from Getty ImagesSimmons brings with him an impeccable reputation as a ball hawk, built on an NFL-best 30 interceptions recorded since 2016, and stands alone as the only player in the league to come down with at least two interceptions in every season from 2016-2023. The 30 picks are the third-most among active safeties behind the Minnesota Vikings’ Harrison Smith (34) and New Orleans’ Tyrann Mathieu (33).
With four second-team All-Pro honors to his name, Simmons has maintained a place as one of the NFL’s elite safeties, but suffered as part of a Broncos defense that finished 29th in yards allowed per game and 27th in points allowed per contest in 2023, posting his lowest coverage grade (63.4) since 2018, according to Pro Football Focus. Without his services, the Broncos took a major step backwards, giving up 49 points and 338 passing yards per game in the two contests in which Simmons did not participate, a 70-20 loss to Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins and 31-28 win over the Chicago Bears last season.
The cold hard facts could not convince Denver to keep Simmons, not after they took a massive dead cap hit by releasing quarterback Russell Wilson.
Simmons will aim to continue his otherwise stellar career in a new uniform and location, adding talent and experience to a Falcons defense that already features standout safety Bates.
