Justin Simmons Clarifies Contentious Remark on Not Signing Long-Term Deal with Broncos

Justin Simmons did not take kindly to a Broncos insider trying to get between him and the team.

Denver Broncos star Justin Simmons broke his silence in brutally-honest form two days after failing to land a multi-year contract from the organization.

"If the Broncos wanted to get a deal done, they would've," Simmons said Friday on NFL Network's Good Morning Football. "And so the reality is another year on the franchise tag is like a contract year all over again. Year 2 in Vic's system with all the weapons that we have, I'm more than confident in myself and what I can do. Moving forward, we'll just have to see. It's a business decision on both ends. Whatever's in my best interest and my family's best interest is always what I'm going to do."

Nothing he uttered was untrue nor adversarial. The franchise-tagged Simmons, an All-Pro in 2019 who graded out as Pro Football Focus' No. 2 safety, understandably is disappointed his camp couldn't strike a long-term deal with Denver following months of negotiations. Encouragingly, he's using the impasse as a source of motivation, knowing an encore performance this season will bestow onto his lineage generational wealth, courtesy of the Broncos or another team.

Disappointment and motivation are starkly different than bitterness and vindictiveness. But you would never know the difference in Mike Klis' world, where the sky is tinted a distinct shade of orange and his deity is none other than The Duke.

There's little to be humble about in relation to Denver's final offer to Simmons that, Klis previously reported, would have paid him as a top-6 safety, which to say isn't commensurate with his ability. The Broncos' brass and Simmons' agent, Todd France, simply "agreed to disagree" — a business decision in a dog-eat-dog industry.

The 26-year-old player knows this. The 61-year-old mouthpiece doesn’t.

A deal is two sided. Never single handedly blamed anyone. Reality is if it was going to happen it would have. I’m thankful for another year to play ball and would appreciate you not trying to divide myself and the team. https://t.co/cRWUbBfawY

— Justin Simmons (@jsimms1119) July 17, 2020

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Simmons is correct asserting that if the Broncos wanted him locked down bad enough, an agreement would have been struck well ahead of Wednesday's deadline. In a parallel universe with a normal 2020 offseason, this deal was done in April.

Thanks to the coronavirus and its associated financial impact on the sport, at a time of unprecedented uncertainty, the Broncos are apprehensive about resetting positional markets or guaranteeing millions of dollars. If John Elway and Co. shied away from signing a backup tackle or cornerback, there was a negligible chance they'd hand over $15 million annually when they technically didn't have to.

As is, it isn't the worst outcome for both sides. The Broncos retain (for now) the bedrock of the new No Fly Zone while Simmons — scheduled to make $11.4 million on his tender — receives a massive pay increase over the $2.025 million he earned in 2019, the final year of his rookie pact.

If Simmons does Simmons things again, which is the expectation, he’ll be handsomely rewarded. And the Broncos will have no issue cracking open the checkbook.

This situation is a lot less dire than some, including those closest to the club, would have you believe. Does this sound like a blameful man?

"You're talking about Von Miller, Bradley Chubb is coming back, Jurrell Casey, we've got Shelby Harris, (Alexander Johnson), Todd (Davis), myself, Kareem (Jackson), A.J. Bouye, Bryce (Callahan) is coming back," he said. "We've just got so many weapons around the board. And we're talking about Year 2, guys feeling comfortable in the system. I can't say enough good things about our defense. You talk about a motivated defense at that. Guys willing to prove themselves. ... I'm excited. The season can't get here fast enough. We just need to get back to some football."

Follow Zack on Twitter @KelbermanNFL and @MileHighHuddle