While many Denver Broncos fans love watching Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson play on Sundays, over 200+ local youth loved spending time with them and several teammates over the weekend.
On Saturday, Simmons and Jackson held a youth football camp at Aurora Central High School through the Justin Simmons Foundation and Kareem Jackson Foundation. The event was sponsored by Raising Canes, which helped provide over 200 young men and women with lunch and shirts for the event.
Campers took pictures and received autographs from Simmons, Jackson, and various Broncos teammates after the event concluded.
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Some of those teammates featured Caden Sterns, P.J. Locke, Damarri Mathis, and Aaron Patrick, who came out in a show of support.
Each player went around the various stations set up around Aurora Central’s football field and participated with campers. Simmons, Sterns, and Mathis spent ample time lining up at defensive back against campers running one on ones.
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The experience for so many of the camp attendees was personalized by Simmons and his teammates, which highlights why their platform is always bigger than football. Simmons made every effort to go above and beyond for every camper he crossed paths with, including helping the young man below.
My nephew is terrified to be out there and not know anyone and @jsimms1119 came over and asked him to go with him 😭 this is the cutest thing 😭😭😭 @JSFoundation31 @Broncos pic.twitter.com/cSqlT5BVwf
— Mary🐍NOLA N3🖤 (@marbearmeyers) July 8, 2023
The leadership presence of Simmons and Jackson has been important for the Denver Broncos on the field, but the impact they have off the field is what matters the most at the end of the day.
Closing it out in Aurora! Thank you to all the parents for bringing their kids and a huge thank you to all the volunteers & coaches who made today possible! 💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/ivAuyNrFJ1
— JustinSimmonsFoundation (@JSFoundation31) July 8, 2023
Simmons and Jackson excited for the start of Denver Broncos Training Camp
Prior to kicking off their camp on Saturday, Simmons, and Jackson each met with local media to talk about the camp and the upcoming season.
With Sean Payton taking over as the Denver Broncos head coach, the atmosphere has been entirely different than it was last season. Payton has expressed previously that training camp is going to be intense as the team looks to restore its previous winning culture on the football field.
Jackson and Simmons are both excited and eager to step on the field for another season under a new direction in hopes of helping the Broncos win more games.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Jackson said as he prepares for the 14th training camp of his career. “I’m excited, [Payton] keeps telling everybody that it’s going to be different; there’s going to be a change. Looking forward to it and embracing it. For us as a team, I think it’ll be great for us. I think we’ll need it to have a different culture shock to see something different, how a different ship is run. Thus far, things have been great; OTAs and minicamp have been great. He doesn’t skip a moment to teach, and I enjoy that. I think the younger guys need that as well. I think training camp will be no different. Obviously, it’ll be tough because it’s training camp. For me, I’m looking forward to it, and I embrace every second of it.”
As Simmons enters his eighth season in the league, he’s become a foundational piece for the Denver Broncos both on and off the field. He’ll be a monumental asset for Payton this upcoming season, both on the field and off of it.
“I’m excited too,” Simmons said. “[Payton]’s always talking about the best players will play. It’s going to be competitive, and I’m excited to compete.”
What’s next?
The Denver Broncos rookies will report for training camp on July 19, with vets slated to report on July 25. The first practice that will be open to the public will be on July 28 at 10:00 a.m. MT.