Saints' rival looking to steal prized free agent from the grasps of New Orleans ahead of preseason game

The New Orleans Saints are focused on improving after their Week 1 preseason game this past Saturday. That being said, the latest free agent news around the NFL will be a tough pill to swallow for the black and gold.

Justin Simmons visiting Atlanta Falcons after Saints visit

Ian Rapoport was first to report Simmons' visit to the NFC South rival.

Simmons' visit with the Saints caught a lot of fans by surprise last week, but New Orleans does have the cap space to make that move. It'd make a major impact for Dennis Allen's defense. The star safety has some key connections with New Orleans' staff as well.

Joe Woods was Simmons' position coach with the Denver Broncos for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He is now an assistant for the Saints. Woods also scouted Simmons during his draft prospect process in 2016.

Marcus Robertson is the Saints’ current defensive backs coach. He spent time with Woods and Simmons in Denver as well. Those are two key connections on the Saints staff that may help New Orleans land him. -- A to Z Sports

Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams will miss "significant time" to recover from an ankle injury he suffered during Friday's preseason opener. Clearly, Atlanta is looking for upside and depth at the position.

As for New Orleans, they seemingly wanted to add Simmons as their starter opposite of tyrant Mathieu. Jordan Howden was a good addition as a role player in his rookie year, but the starting gig is quite the step up for him in 2024 .

Just like the potential of Mathieu/Simmons, Atlanta could create a dynamic duo in Simmons and Jessie Bates.

The Saints may have tried they best to lock down Simmons during his visit, but that did  not happen. Now, their worst-case scenario could come to life if the Falcons sign him to a deal following this visit.

Let's see if a deal shakes out, one way or another, for Simmons.

Related: Saints' recent free agent target Justin Simmons believes he can be the missing piece for an NFL team