Tampa Bay Buccaneers Urged To Sign Pro Bowl Safety

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have every reason to kick their feet up. They didn’t win the Super Bowl last year, but they accomplished something nearly as difficult. They found a replacement to Tom Brady overnight and improved in their first season without him.

That said, teams don’t kick their feet up on the practice field, on the game gridiron, or in the front office.

Bleacher Report came out with a list of names that every team needs to add before the season. Among the list of names for the Buccaneers was former Broncos safety Justin Simmons, potentially one of the best remaining free agents available. Here’s what they wrote:

“To be honest, Tampa Bay doesn’t have many glaring needs heading into the season, but the defense could use a second safety to complement Antoine Winfield Jr. While Jordan Whitehead was a decent pickup in free agency, it wouldn’t hurt to bring in Simmons during training camp as another potential ball hawk in the secondary,” they wrote.

Before his exit, Broncos fans called Simmons the leader of the defense. They also called him one of the faces of the franchise. However, it hasn’t been enough to win over any teams this offseason.

Justin Simmons’ steady decline coming to a head in 2024

Some analysts have speculated that Simmons is asking for too much money. However, as a safety past the age of 30 and now waiting for a fit in August with training camps underway, the disconnect between the safety and teams must be the size of the Grand Canyon.

Of course, there is a possibility that one of the teams lose their starting safety and elect to turn to Simmons in a desperate move. If Simmons gets that situation handed to him, he will hold all of the cards, finding a way to maximize his profits. Plus, he will have found a way to skip the boot camp that is summer training camp.

That said, his statistical production and his steady decline have worked against him, offering another reason for his long wait. Simmons peaked in recent years in 2019, earning a 90.7 PFF rating. In 2020, he earned a 77.4 PFF grade. Then, in 2021, he earned a 74.8 PFF grade. In 2022, he earned a 70.7 PFF grade. In 2023, he earned a 67.9 PFF grade. As such, his next team might see him on pace to earn close to a 60 PFF grade. This could be seen as an issue for most teams.

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