ENGLEWOOD, Colorado – Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons said on Friday that he was willing to bet on himself and play on the franchise player offering during the 2020 season and that if the team had wanted to sign it for a long-term agreement, “they would ‘ve.”
Simmons is the fifth Broncos player president of football operations / general manager John Elway has used the franchise player label since he was hired in 2011. Deadline for long-term deal passed Wednesday without contract in place for Simmons, which signed its one-year tender ($ 11.441 million guarantee).
Simmons will be on contract for the coming season and is expected to be a free agent again next year.
Friday morning, during an appearance on the NFL network, Simmons said: “If the Broncos wanted to make a deal, they would have done it. And so the reality is that another year on the franchise label is like a year of contract again. Year 2 in Vic [Fangio’s] system with all the weapons we have, I am more than confident in myself and in what I can do. To move forward, we will just have to see. It is a business decision on both sides. Everything that is in my interest and in the interest of my family is always what I will do. “
And right after the appearance, Simmons responded on social media to the idea that he blamed the team entirely for their lack of contract, posting on Twitter: “An agreement is bilateral. Never alone does nobody blamed. The reality is if it was going to happen. I’m thankful for another year of playing ball and I would appreciate it if you weren’t trying to split myself and the team. “
Simmons, who turned 26 last November, played at the Pro Bowl level in his first year in head coach Fangio’s system. He was tied for second on the team with 93 tackles and led the team with four interceptions and 15 defensive assists.
Also one of the most active team players in the community, Simmons was the Broncos’ nominee last season for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
During this off-season, Simmons has always expressed optimism that the Broncos’ four-year drought will end.
“For sure, [quarterback] Drew [Lock] have come in and we have finished strong, 4-1 in the last five games, “said Simmons.” Von [Miller], Bradley [Chubb] coming back from her [knee] injury, Kareem [Jackson], Bryce [Callahan] is going to be back. I think the world of our defense, and in year 2 of the system, I can’t wait. “
Elway has not publicly discussed negotiations with Simmons in the past few weeks as to why no agreement was reached, but has always said that the team intends to keep Simmons “for a long time” and called Simmons “an important part of what we do.” It will also take elite money to do this, since the top five highest paid collateral in the league all have contracts that average between $ 14 and $ 14.6 million.
Earlier in the offseason, Fangio made it clear what he thinks of Simmons – on and off the field, with his involvement in the community and his stance on social justice issues – when he said, “Justin is a great person, a great leader and with a properly screwed head. He sees the problems and how they should be solved, He does it peacefully and he looks for solutions. It is easy for everyone to identify the problems – we know all the problems – but we need to find solutions. I think Justin is one of those guys who will help us find solutions and get us out of this mess. “
During Elway’s tenure, the four previous franchise players – tackle Ryan Clady, kicker Matt Prater, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and Miller – signed long-term deals before the deadline expired. Miller’s $ 114.5 million deal was revolutionary at the time.
Miller is expected to enter the fifth year of the six-year agreement. And negotiations for this agreement have been much more sensitive publicly than discussions with representatives of Simmons. At one point, Miller cropped Elway in a photo he posted on social media, taken during the team’s trip to the White House in 2016 to honor the Super Bowl 50 victory.
The two sides will certainly reexamine the subject of a long-term agreement next year, given that Elway has repeatedly stated that it considers Simmons to be one of the key players in the organization.
On the potential for a long-term deal, Elway said earlier this offseason: “We want him to come back. You know the options there. … He’s a great football player, but that’s is a better man. What he does outside of this building and what is done in Denver has been great. Just the type of guy he is. These are the types of guys we want on this team Obviously we have the franchise option there, but we would like to do something with Justin for the long term. “
Simmons has started 48 games in his career, including 16 starts in each of the past two seasons. Simmons has also played all defensive snaps in each of the past two seasons. He has 11 interceptions, 28 defensive passes and 2 sacks in his career.
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