Mile High Sports

A rebuild doesn’t have to include disrespect, Denver Broncos did Justin Simmons dirty

Rich Kurtzman
Justin Simmons makes a tackle in his last game with the Broncos.

Justin Simmons makes a tackle in his last game with the Broncos. Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports.

Justin Simmons had a chance to go down as a Ring of Famer.

Instead, the Denver Broncos just cut the 8-year veteran safety and leader of their defense, to save $14.5 million toward the salary cap.

We get it, the Broncos are hamstrung due to moving on from Russell Wilson’s $242 million contract early, eating $85M in dead cap. But they could have cut other players and kept Simmons on the roster.

A rebuild doesn’t have to be disrespectful, Simmons could still be a Bronco

Here’s the thing, even with cutting Justin Simmons this morning, the Broncos are still $12 million over the cap going into 2024.

The $30M increase to the NFL Salary Cap, to $255M, helped Denver out some, but they’re still in salary cap hell for now.

But, there was a way the Broncos could have kept Simmons on the roster, and reason to as well.

Cutting Garett Boles will save Denver $16M toward the cap, and he’s likely on the way out. Jettisoning D.J. Jones saves $12M, and cutting both Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton would save a combined $20M.

Besides those moves, there are a few more they can make to save money, but there are also some bigger contracts they can’t move on from right now.

So, there’s a world in which the Broncos go through a complete rebuild—which they’re clearly doing now—and still at least retain defensive leader, captain, and All-Pro Justin Simmons. If they made all those aforementioned moves, they’d have $36M in cap to play with.

Of course, that’s not much, and they’d have to fill crucial starting positions at left tackle and wide receiver. It’s a stretch, but if they wanted to, Sean Payton and George Paton could have kept Simmons on the team.

Simmons was on his way to being a Ring of Famer

There’s no doubt about it, Simmons was a star on the field, and a consummate leader off the field.

On the gridiron, his 30 interceptions since his rookie year lead the entire NFL. Not only that, he accomplished the feat with five different defensive coordinators.

That likely sums up his career, too: Simmons was greatness through one of the worst stretches in Broncos history. His 30 INTs are also tied for seventh-most in Broncos history with Dennis Smith.

Not only that, Simmons’ 443 tackles are tied for 12th all-time in franchise history with Chris Harris Jr. A few more years of his stellar production would have pushed him into Ring of Fame territory. Now, he’ll likely be lost in the “almost” category in Broncos history.

Simmons was a ball hawk, a hard-hitter, and a consistent leader. He was also a menace to superstar Patrick Mahomes and picked him off more than any other player. Off the field, Simmons was always engaged, interested; he wanted to be there. So much so, he was named Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for the team three different times.

It’s not just fans who are upset at this move, but current teammates, too.

Expect the Broncos to make many of those aforementioned moves soon, cutting money to get under the cap. And Broncos Country also has to expect a long, losing-filled 2024 season. If they’re lucky in free agency and the draft, Denver could possibly start to right the ship in 2025 and be competitive again in 2026. If they’re unlucky, this rebuild could out-last Payton as head coach.

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