While the old era Denver Broncos were not known for winning, the roster wasn’t exactly devoid of talented defensive players.
The Denver Broncos are heading into a new era. Sean Payton and Bo Nix are in, the decade-long search for a head coach and quarterback is over, and the team is building.
However, just because the final records in each of those post-Peyton Manning era seasons were worth forgetting doesn’t mean every player from back then was. Von Miller and Justin Simmons took turns as the face of the team in certain moments as the franchise pursued any source of talent.
Both players are still in the league, but have long since moved on. Miller has spent time with the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams. Simmons followed up his Broncos exit by spending time with the Atlanta Falcons.
His time with the team has since ended, and now it’s clear where Simmons wants to land.
Justin Simmons on where he wants to go
Speaking on an April 9 edition of “Up and Adams,” former Broncos and Falcons safety Justin Simmons listed off several teams he’d like to join.
“Teams like Buffalo, Philly, Cincinnati, like teams like that that have always been in the mix, and obviously Philly just winning it last year, you know it’d be special,” he said.
In other words, he only wants the crème of the crop. He’s spent the bulk of his time in the league on rebuilding teams, and he’s not taking any other answers.
Simmons, 31, logged a 59.9 PFF grade in 2024 while playing for the Atlanta Falcons. It’s clear his best years might be behind him. However, he has only made one stop since leaving Denver, so it’s too early to say for sure.
If he’d be willing to compete his way onto the roster or work as a backup, he seemingly should entice those teams. If he wants to start, it might be a different story.
Justin Simmons’ desired landing spots all have one thing in common
The former Broncos safety spent the bulk of his career chasing Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Once again, Simmons appears to want that rivalry.
The Bills, Bengals, and Eagles have all faced Mahomes in recent years in the playoffs. Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts own the only playoff victories over Mahomes out of active quarterbacks in the NFL.
As such, the Eagles, who beat Mahomes most recently in the Super Bowl, and the Bengals, who beat them in the 2021 AFC Championship, sit as the best options.
However, Von Miller was able to capture a level of success with the Bills as a former Broncos member, so the Bills also makes sense. Here’s the order he might have the teams in:
Will Simmons get his wish?
