General Manager John Elway made it clear that the Denver Broncos will slap All-Pro safety Justin Simmons with the franchise tag if they are unable to reach a deal on a long-term extension by the March 12 franchise tag deadline.
“I’d like to get a deal done with him before that, but we’ll see. Yeah, if we don’t get something done, we’ll use the tag,” Elway told reporters at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Thursday.
Simmons ranked 17th on Pro Football Focus’s Top 101 players from the 2019 season. The safety was a cornerstone in the secondary, leading the team in interceptions (4), and finishing second to linebacker Todd Davis in tackles (93).
The Broncos’ new Vice President of Football Administration, Rich Hurtado, Simmons’ former agent, may be the deciding factor in locking up the 26-year-old safety for the long term.
“He’ll [Hurtado] be right in the middle of it. Like I said, we’ll be able to hopefully get something done with Justin,” Elway said. “He’s an important piece of what we do so want to get something done. But bottom line, it has to be fair to Justin and it has to be fair to us. Hopefully we can get to that point no matter who’s representing him or us, we can come to an agreement.”
With Simmons potentially locked down for the near future, Elway will have to deal with several defensive players testing the free agent market.
Defensive end Derek Wolfe’s fate in Denver is unclear as he ended his 2019 contract season on the Injured Reserve with an elbow injury. However, Benjamin Allbright and Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network expect Wolfe to remain with the team, while they also think fellow defensive end and impending free agent Shelby Harris will depart.
Super Bowl 50 champion Chris Harris Jr. is another Broncos veteran expected to test his value in the market, and with the Broncos impending franchise tag with Simmons, the last remaining member of the ‘No Fly Zone’ will most likely be leaving the Mile High City.
Denver also announced they will be declining the team option on right guard Ron Leary’s contract, clearing up about $8.4 million dollars in salary cap space.
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