Getty Packers potential target at safety, Justin Simmons
When it comes to holes in the Packers roster, many of the areas that are mentioned often are a matter of opinion more than fact. Except one, that is: Safety. That’s because the Packers sit here in the offseason with their Top 3 safeties all entering free-agency. Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford all have expired contracts. The only remaining safeties with Packers contracts are Benny Sapp and Zayne Anderson, who combined to play just 17 snaps last year.
Ah, but the Packers are in luck because as rosters have been crunched in recent days, more and more safeties have been hitting the open market, which means Green Bay is in position to add one—maybe more—probably at a reasonable price.
The latest comes from the Broncos, who surprisingly cut safety Justin Simmons after a Pro Bowl season in which he recorded three interceptions and eight passes defended in 15 games. He joins the Seahawks’ Quandre Diggs, the Eagles’ Kevin Byard and Buffalo’s Jordan Poyer as top safeties to get the axe because of salary-cap reasons this week.
And Simmons, according to Bleacher Report’s “Wake Up With Ray G” podcast, would be a “great fit” in Green Bay.
Justin Simmons Could Be an ‘Anchor’ for a Young Defense
Simmons is 31, which could put him outside the range of Packers preference. This is clearly a youth movement in Green Bay, after all. But GM Brian Gutekunst has dropped hints that the team would not be opposed to adding win-now pieces after last season’s strong closing, which featured a trip to the NFL’s quarterfinals, where the Packers narrowly lost to the 49ers.
Safety is an area of need, and Simmons is a good veteran who could provide leadership. That’s not to say the team couldn’t re-sign some of its current crop of safeties, of course. But Simmons is an upgrade.
“We know they’re going to get better and better on offense but getting a player like Simmons to anchor the defense and, importantly, give them a guy that can help them win in the NFC. … If he did want to go to the NFC, a team on the rise like the Packers could be a great destination,” co-host Jordan Richards said.
The Packers do not have much cap space, but Simmons won’t break the bank. He had been in the final year of a four-year, $61 million deal, and Spotrac estimates his market value at a two-year, $22 million deal. Savage is projected at Pro Football Focus for a two-year, $10 million contract, so the Packers could afford both.
Packers Are a Team on the Rise
Simmons will have options, though. Two of the top safeties and potential Packers targets—Antoine Winfield of Tampa Bay and Kyle Dugger of the Patriots—were franchise-tagged, and Simmons will be near the top of the target list for any team needing a safety.
But the Packers don’t need to sell themselves much to Simmons, if they want him. Simmons should want to play for a team with as much upside as Green Bay.
“When you look at what Jordan Love did and how that offense progressed throughout the season, I still think they want to lean on the defense and have a strong secondary. Now, they might want to go elsewhere in the secondary. Simmons would be a great fit to be the anchor for a young defense that is continuing to improve year after year,” Richards said.