Former Broncos great still wants to play, but only under his terms

Former Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons spent the entire 2025 season without playing, leading to plenty of speculation that his career was over. But Simmons has made it clear that he could have played, as teams wanted him, he just didn't want those teams. 

Speaking recently on an episode of "The Weekly Cut", Simmons discussed his future in the league and made it clear that he will only play for a contender, as uprooting his family weighs heavily on him. Simmons and his family still live in Colorado.

After one season with the Atlanta Falcons, Simmons chose to sit out the 2025 season while waiting for the right opportunity to pop up. That never came and it's possible that the right opportunity won't come this season, either. That said, Simmons will suit up and play in a 10th NFL season if the right team calls. 

"I was being very meticulous in what time I wanted to play for. My time with the Atlanta Falcons was great. I loved it, I gained really great friendships, I had amazing coaches. I just think.... we started off hot. We were 6-3, everything was going well and I'm sure a lot of people watched that quarterbacks, Netflix documentary thing and you saw throughout the season if you were following Kirk, and I'm not talking about Kirk specifically, but like, our season went from 6-3 to just like downhill", said Simmons. 

He compared that to his time in Denver when the team would have hot starts and then fade out. Simmons has still never played in a postseason game in his career. 

The Broncos would not qualify as the contender that he seeks to play for, and many fans within Broncos Country would love to see that reunion, but it's likely not in the cards. The team has a strong duo at the safety position with Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones and Simmons is likely not looking to join a team as a backup. 

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Now 32 years old, the two-time Pro Bowl selection may have to lower his demands or make the decision to call it a career. 

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