Broncos safety Justin Simmons’ individual play — second-team All Pro in 2019 and a Pro Bowl selection in ’20 — led to a four-year, $61 million contract.
Now Simmons wants team achievements.
“Having the individual success is great, but this is a team effort and a team game and the past five years, being a part of a couple of losing seasons, it’s about time to be on the positive side of that and start winning some football games,” Simmons said during a news conference Monday.
Simmons will be counted on to be a foundational player. He played last year on the franchise tag when contract talks didn’t progress, but Broncos contract negotiator Rich Hurtado and Todd France, Simmons’ agent, got a deal done last week.
“He has all the tools to be the very best — smart, instinctive, athletic, rangy,” general manager George Paton said. “He’s a natural ball-hawk and he’s just scratching the surface. We believe he’ll only get better and help us win a lot of football games moving forward.”
The Broncos’ defense could have as many as three new starters in the secondary (cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller and a to-be-determined safety). It will be up to Simmons, who has played every defensive snap the past three years, to help make sure the transition is seamless.
“What I’m really looking forward to is finding a way to team success,” he said. “Individually, there are things I can do to get better. But what can I do from a team aspect defensively? How can I push the guys offensively? How can I make sure we’re competing to the highest level every day and making sure we’re doing the (right) things week in and week out?
“That falls on my shoulders as a leader on this team and this defense. I’ve never been one to shy away from opportunity and this is a big one.”
Salary cap hits. The official contract totals for the Broncos moves last week have been filed with the league and it reflects how the team projects salary cap increases beginning in 2022.
Simmons: Four years, $61 million ($35 million guaranteed). The cap hits are $5.75 million (this year), $18.85 million (’22), $18.15 million (’23) and $18.95 million (’24).
Defensive end Shelby Harris: Three years, $27 million ($15 million guaranteed). The cap hits are $4 million (this year), $10.8 million (’22) and $11.8 million (’23).
Cornerback Ronald Darby: Three years, $30 million ($19.5 million guaranteed). The cap hits are $4 million (’21) and $13 million apiece in ’22-23.
Running back Mike Boone: Two years, $3.85 million. The cap hits are $1.8 million (this year) and $2.05 million (’22). Boone’s contract is worth a maximum of $4.48 million if he meets certain incentives.
Paton saluted Hurtado, who joined the Broncos in January 2020, for his work on Simmons’ deal in particular.
“These things take time and Rich spent countless hours trying to get this deal done and did a remarkable job at doing that,” Paton said.
Draft order set. The NFL has released its final draft order.
The Broncos have nine selections: Single selections in rounds 1 (No. 9), 2 (No. 40), 3 (No. 71), 4 (No. 114), 5 (No. 152), 6 (No. 191) and three in round seven (Nos. 237, 239 and 253).
Cornerback Isaac Yiadom was traded to the New York Giants last August for the 239th pick and fullback Andy Janovich was traded to Cleveland last year for the 253rd pick.
Footnotes. The Broncos lost outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Attaochu had 8 1/2 sacks in 25 games (736 snaps) over two years and leaves Malik Reed and Derrek Tuszka as the only back-up edge rushers behind Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. … Simmons wore a suit to his press conference, which didn’t surprise coach Vic Fangio. “He was the one guy during the year when we said (players) could wear sweats on the road, he still had his suit ready to go,” Fangio said. “He’s a classic suit-wearer and he’s a class guy.”
