By Ross Jackson
IRVINE – While they feel comfortable with their safety room, the New Orleans Saints spent months in contact with free agent safety Justin Simmons. That courtship finally resulted in a visit in early August and the potential for the team to land the Pro Bowl safety, adding him to an already strong defense.
Unfortunately for them, things did not pan out the way they had hoped. After a few injuries to their defense, the Atlanta Falcons ended up hosting Simmons on a visit and on Thursday, signed him to a one-year deal worth $8 million per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
This hurts the Saints in that they will now have to face Simmons twice in 2024 while he tries to have a strong season before hitting the market again in 2025. This also hurts New Orleans in that Simmons would have had a major impact on its defense. Head coach Dennis Allen was adamant that the team did not see safety as a spot they were desperate to improve. Instead making the pursuit of Simmons more about his talent than any lacking in the position room.
The Saints are likely to be just fine with second-year safety Jordan Howden or veteran safety Johnathan Abram lining up next to Tyrann Mathieu in 2024. But the opportunity to add Simmons to the mix was an enticing one. He could have made the position group all the better, however missing out on him does not make the room any worse.
This is a rare miss for the Saints when it comes to hosting free agents as of late. Visits with Mathieu, starting quarterback Derek Carr, former wide receiver Jarvis Landry and most recently defensive end Chase Young have all led to deals getting done. Simmons pivoting away from the Saints stings. And pivoting to a division rival stings even more.
