New Orleans Saints slammed for losing free agent Justin Simmons to NFC South rival

While the New Orleans Saints attempt to figure out what to do at the safety spot next to Tyrann Mathieu, the NFL world has some thoughts about their recent failure in free agency.

Those Saints had met with and seemingly hoped to sign former All-Pro safety Justin Simmons recently. But Thursday, he elected to sign elsewhere in the NFC South, joining the Atlanta Falcons .

That leaves the Saints in a bind and on the receiving end of serious criticism. It’s no secret that Mickey Loomis is the league’s longest-tenured general manager and sticks to offers. When Simmons “only” gets $8 million on a one-year deal with Atlanta, that factor comes into play in the conversations.

As of this writing, Loomis and the Saints have roughly $10 million in free cap space and plenty of ways to free up more, so again, when looking at the money and past habits, it’s a bad outlook.

Granted, the Saints clearly aren’t a desired destination for free agents right now, either. But one would think certain ties that link Simmons to the team —such as his past with Saints defensive coordinator Joe Woods and Saints defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson—might give the team an edge. That sticks out when it seemed like the Saints were his first visit.

As such, much of the criticism leveled at the Saints right now isn’t just about the cash—it centers on Loomis and head coach Dennis Allen.

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