Cardinals Not Rushing Isaiah Simmons, Fifth-Year Option
PHOENIX -- In a crowded ballroom at the Biltmore, Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon answered questions for nearly 30 minutes at the NFL's Annual Meeting on a variety of topics ranging from the team's NFLPA report card to how the Cardinals could potentially align schematically and nearly everything between.
One topic Gannon touched on was the upcoming status of defensive weapon Isaiah Simmons, a hybrid player whose athleticism and range places him in unique company as far as skill sets go. Simmons first touched the grass at State Farm Stadium as an inside linebacker before transitioning to more of a defensive back role in 2022.
Now under a new regime, Simmons' usage and alignment for next year isn't the only thing up in the air. As a member of the 2020 NFL Draft class, the Cardinals have until May 1 to exercise his fifth-year option.
Doing so would ensure he's on the team through the 2024 season with a price tag of $12.7 million. Should Arizona choose not to exercise that option, Simmons will hit free agency next offseason at the age of 25.
"He obviously has a very unique skill set. A lot of guys that look like him can't do what he can do. So just excited to get on the grass with him and see what he's comfortable with, with what we're going to ask him to do. Just excited to see how he fits into what we're going to do and help us win games," Gannon said on Simmons.
The arrival of LB Kyzir White from the Philadelphia Eagles likely places him next to Zaven Collins as a starting off-ball linebacker. Simmons could either be the third in a 4-3 defense or could be utilized as a nickel back in the secondary in other packages.
Both Gannon and GM Monti Ossenfort have been fairly consistent on wanting to have an adaptable football team moving forward, and Simmons is as close to that mold as you'll get.
With that will come some adjustments from both sides before a perfect role is met. Anybody who knows the game of football is well aware that x's and o's on paper don't always match the product on the field: Only after seeing plans come to fruition can the Cardinals get a good idea of what Simmons can do in their new-look defense.
"Even though we might have a vision for him, he might say, 'I can do this, this and this' let's make sure he's comfortable with what we're asking him to do mentally and physically," Gannon said.
"So that'll take a little bit of feeling out from both sides. But we've got time before we line up week one in September, so I'm not going to rush that. We're not going to rush that. But [we have had] really good communication with Isaiah. He got good news about his health. So he's gonna be here and excited, ready to go."
Before that May 1 deadline, the Cardinals will have little time to see Simmons in the early stages of DC Nick Rallis' defense:
April 11: Offseason Strength and Conditioning Program begins
April 25-27: Voluntary Veteran Mini-Camp
To this point, only Tua Tagovailoa has had his fifth-year option picked up. Stars such as Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson could be next, too.
Earlier at the 2023 NFL Combine, Ossenfort was asked about Simmons' fifth-year option:
"The defensive staff is in their process of evaluating the roster and where guys fit and positionally where guys are gonna play. And so we have until May to make that decision and we'll make that decision when it's appropriate. So we still got some time on Isaiah. But I know Isaiah is an extremely talented player. He's big, he's long, he's fast, and I think we'll be able to find a good way to use him this year," Ossenfort said.
Not much has changed in the weeks since.
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