Justin Simmons finally has a new team, won't be returning to Broncos

Travis Wakeman

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Justin Simmons finally has a new team, won't be returning to Broncos image

The Denver Broncos released Justin Simmons back in March, shocking Broncos Country and bringing to an end an 8-year run with the team. 

Simmons was still one of the best overall players on the roster, but the Broncos decided they needed to save some money against the salary cap. Since then, Simmons has been quietly and patiently waiting for his next opportunity. 

It was believed he was waiting to sign with a Super Bowl contender such as San Francisco, Baltimore or Detroit. The Philadelphia Eagles had been mentioned often as well. Instead, Simmons has chosen to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. 

 

Though the Falcons may not be a Super Bowl contender in the eyes of most, they did something to convince Simmons that they were the right fit as he has only worked out for them and one other team, the New Orleans Saints, this offseason.  

Falcons have tremendous safety combination after adding Justin Simmons

Simmons will now pair with Jessie Bates at safety. That gives the Falcons one of the better combinations in the NFL as Bates is a two-time Second-team All-Pro. He also has 20 career interceptions. 

The Broncos, who also parted ways with Caden Sterns this offseason, will go forward with Brandon Jones and P.J. Locke as their starting safeties. Jones has missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury. 

With Simmons sitting on the open market for quite some time, many Broncos fans were hoping the team could bring him back on a new deal and he could continue, and perhaps finish, his career in Denver. Unfortunately for Broncos fans, that is not going to happen. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.