Is it wise for the Denver Broncos to part with their seasoned safety this offseason?

 

Even though the much-awaited NFL offseason hasn’t quite begun, there is still a lot of conjecture in the league about the paths that each team will choose to follow during the summer. Even if the winner of this year is still up in the air, it’s never too early to start planning for next season.

There is a lot of work to be done, particularly when examining the Denver Broncos’ current situation. They failed to make the AFC playoff picture and had a disappointing 8-9 record at the end of the 2023 season. This roster has to be brought up to date in a few steps, however before adding new players, there may need to be some subtractions made.

The Broncos are presently in the bottom five of the league for this offseason’s salary cap, with nearly -$23 million, according to nearly The Cap. That is prior to any decisions being made on Russell Wilson’s future. This team has to significantly reduce the cost of its squad if it is to have any chance of getting this program back on track.

Here’s where the difficult choices must be made.

In order for this front office to have plenty of freedom, the Broncos must shed a large number of heavy contracts, even if it means saying goodbye to a productive player like Justin Simmons. Although he just finished a fantastic season in which he was named an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection, the decision to move him this offseason may not be as crazy as it seems.

A trade proposal to move Justin Simmons to the NFC to the Detroit Lions for significant cap relief while overseeing the Broncos’ schedule is made public in a Bleacher Report article by Brad Gagnon:

“Giving the Detroit Lions’ 2023 Super Bowl run, acquiring a game-changing defense may be the kind of acquisition that elevates the team to the top in 2024. Simmons is getting close to 30, and according to Spotrac, the Denver Broncos, who haven’t been competitive at all, can save $14.5 million by trading for the two-time Pro Bowler now, avoiding a walk-year. Here, they can trade him to a team outside of the conference that might be able to derive more value out of having him as a 2024 contender.”

It’s far more realistic for the Lions to pay Simmons’ $18.2 million contract because Denver is mired in cap nightmare. With $47 million in available cap space, Detroit is sixth in the NFL. An All-Pro safety would be a wonderful addition to help Dan Campbell’s defense at the back end. Adding that assistance would be a nice addition for a club that was only one game away from winning the Super Bowl a week ago.

GM George Paton would have to give it careful attention if the Broncos were able to acquire some extra draft capital from Detroit in a trade this April. With only six selections remaining in the forthcoming draft, the team is also without a second-round pick. This core could use some new, youthful talent to give it some vitality, but that won’t happen without the necessary resources.

Given that Simmons has been an essential member of this defense for the last eight seasons, it could be difficult to envision this Broncos squad without him. But there’s a slim chance his destiny is about to take a different turn as Denver embarks on a challenging journey to become a Super Bowl-caliber club.