Former $61 million 4-time All-Pro could land with Raiders in free agency

The Las Vegas Raiders have revamped their safeties room this offseason after the team lost both Tre'von Moehrig and Marcus Epps in free agency.

Las Vegas signed Jeremy Chinn to replace one of them, and they appear set to depend on former undrafted free agent Isaiah Pola-Mao to step into a starting role.

There are obvious concerns with both players, though, as Pola-Mao doesn't have a ton of starting experience and Chinn has never lived up to his second-round billing.

One analyst, CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin, believes that situation should put the Raiders in the market for free-agent safety Justin Simmons.

"Linked to big-name cover men like Jaire Alexander and Jalen Ramsey thanks to their dearth of proven options at cornerback, the Raiders could just as easily use a savvy starter on the back end under the defensively minded Pete Carroll," he said. "Besides possessing plenty of 2025 salary cap space to add help, the Raiders also employ pass game coordinator Joe Woods, who served as Simmons' first defensive backs coach in Denver."

A four-time second-team All-Pro, Simmons became one of the best safeties in the NFL during his days with the Denver Broncos, which netted him a $61 million contract during his time there.

Simmons had an unremarkable 2024 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons, but he still brings a wealth of experience with him, and he's solid in both coverage and against the run.

Versatility is another thing Simmons brings to the table.

While he does his best work on the back end, he's also capable of playing in the box and has a significant amount of experience playing in the slot, also, which is one of the Raiders' biggest concerns in the secondary.

There really isn't any risk in bringing Simmons in. The Raiders are still loaded with cap space and the veteran shouldn't cost much to acquire on a one-year deal.

If the Raiders want to strengthen their defense, signing Simmons is a good way to go about that.