Justin Simmons & the Broncos are Running Out of Time to Negotiate as July 15 Deadline Looms
As we sweep into the month of July, the last major piece of contractual business for Denver Broncos GM John Elway still remains unresolved. Standout fourth-year safety Justin Simmons has seen his window of opportunity to garner a multi-year contract rapidly close.
As a franchise-tagged player, Simmons and the Broncos have until July 15 to iron out a long-term deal, or else both sides risk playing out the coming season on a one-year term worth $11.441 million.
Both parties have a strong motivation to tie up the loose ends of the negotiations and get a deal done. That said, Broncos Country cannot help but notice that all the previous momentum to thrash out an early agreement seems to have given way to an eerie silence since Elway last gave fans back an update in late April.
“We’ve given them an offer, they gave us an offer back and so we’re in active negotiations with Justin,” Elway said.
A lot has changed since the first offers went across the negotiating table between Simmons' reps and Denver’s team of number-crunchers. Quite dramatically, the NFL has been in a constant state of flux due to the coronavirus, but it’s the contract demands of New York Jets star safety Jamal Adams that might put the fly in the ointment of a deal of what was once perceived as an imminent deal between Simmons and Elway.
Adams is currently in the process of leveraging himself a trade out of a sticky situation in the Big Apple. His power-move to force the Jets front office into shopping him boils down to his own displeasure with his rookie contract and Head Coach Adam Gase.
Were it all to come to a head, both Simmons and his agent Todd France at CAA are bound to be closely watching the Adams developments because Adams is seeking to become the highest-paid safety in NFL history, after he went public demanding a new contract to the tune of $20 million per year.
Such a deal would have an effect on what Simmons might be able to garner from Broncos should Adams succeed in resetting the market. Such a deal for Adams would blow away the traditional narrative that top safeties are always paid less than the game’s elite cover corners
However, as a result of the ongoing pandemic, teams are scrambling to readjust to what could amount to a monumental potential loss of revenue that would almost certainly result in lower a NFL salary cap in 2021. Should fans not be allowed to attend games this coming season, it’s very likely that teams will crop players’ salaries in line with their decreasing profits.
This puts Adams' efforts to smash the pay structure for top safeties into a much different context which would alter Simmons' own negotiations with the Broncos. Teams will likely not only balk at Adams' pay demands, but also the top draft capital they'd have to surrender to obtain him via trade.
So far, Jets GM Joe Douglas has remained steadfast in his refusal to trade his defensive play-maker, so barring a change of heart or blockbuster trade offer, it’s increasingly likely Adams stays put. For Simmons, that means the Broncos are likely to return to whatever their original benchmark was for his new salary numbers, which could be somewhere in the region of $14M per season.
That type of money would place Simmons in the top earning bracket for safeties, alongside the likes of Landon Collins, Kevin Byard, Eddie Jackson, and Earl Thomas.
Elway should be thankful he is dealing with Simmons, rather than the disgruntled Adams, who has used the media in an attempt to get what he wants. Simmons, on the other hand, has remained dedicated to his offseason community work and has maintained a diplomatic public posture with regard to his ongoing contract talks.
Having the franchise tag used on him didn’t seem to frustrate Denver’s center fielder that much when he broached the issue back in December at the conclusion of the season.
“Anytime that’s been used, long term deals have been done,” Simmons explained. ”Either way I’ve looked at it, it’s a blessing either way. In my opinion, if a team wants you, you’ll be here. It’ll be a blessing either way.”
Elway's has traditionally used the franchise tag as a holding position while he works on the finer details of long-term deals, so burning the midnight oil on such contract talks is just an occupational hazard of being the team’s shot-caller. If you frame all of this in the present climate, Denver’s front-office team, which includes cap czar and lead negotiator Rich Hurtado, is stressing diligence so it can get its finances in order and avoid over-committing vital dollars.
Simmons' desire to remain with the Broncos is already an open secret, so nobody in Broncos Country is pressing the panic button just yet. As the July 15 deadline looms and the NFL landscape continues to rapidly shift, the old proverb ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’ could be firmly planted in Simmons' mind as he ponders his next move.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
