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Falcon Report

Atlanta Falcons Congratulate Former Player, All-Pro on His Retirement

The Atlanta Falcons sent congratulations to one of their former players after he announced his retirement Wednesday.
Dave Holcomb|
Former Atlanta Falcons safety Justin Simmons retired from the NFL Wednesday.
Former Atlanta Falcons safety Justin Simmons retired from the NFL Wednesday. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons sent a congratulatory social media post to former team safety Justin Simmons on Wednesday. The congratulations was in response to Simmons announcing his retirement from the NFL.

Simmons played one season with the Falcons in 2024. He didn't spend any time with an organization during the 2025 campaign.

Simmons played his best seasons with the Denver Broncos. In fact, the only campaign he didn't spend with Denver was 2024 when he played in Atlanta.

But the last time Simmons was on an NFL field was with the Falcons.

From 2019-23, Simmons was one of the best safeties in the league. During that stretch, he made second-team All-Pro four times and two Pro Bowls.

In 2022, he finished tied for the league lead with six interceptions. He also had five picks during each of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

During his season with the Falcons, Simmons played 98% of Atlanta's defensive snaps. With 1,095 snaps on defense, he finished tied for first on the team with linebacker Kaden Elliss.

But Simmons wasn't quite the same player he once was. He posted 62 combined tackles, which was his fewest since his rookie season in 2016.

Simmons also had seven pass defenses with two interceptions.

The Falcons signed the safety to a 1-year, $7.5 million contract that was fully guaranteed ahead of the 2024 season. The deal included a $4.75 million signing bonus.

At the time, the deal was seen as sort of an "all-in" move for the Falcons. The team inked veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a big deal that same offseason. Safety was one of the biggest holes on the Falcons roster in 2024 training camp, and the team finally signed Simmons in the middle of August.

The signing appeared to be going well early in the season. But the defense, and team, fell apart beginning in November.

The Week 14 matchup versus the Minnesota Vikings was particularly painful for Simmons and the Falcons secondary. Minnesota scored 42 points with quarterback Sam Darnold throwing five touchdown passes versus zero interceptions.

Two of those touchdown receptions were longer than 45 yards.

Simmons posted six combined tackles in his last NFL game during Week 18. The Falcons lost to the Carolina Panthers in overtime, which officially eliminated them from the NFL postseason.

The safety finished his NFL career with 666 combined tackles, including 21 tackles for loss. He also had 32 interceptions, 71 pass defenses and 4.5 sacks.

Simmons signed a 1-day contract with the Broncos while announcing his retirement Wednesday.

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Dave Holcomb
DAVE HOLCOMB

Dave Holcomb writer covering the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Braves and Fantasy Sports for On SI. Holcomb has lived in the Atlanta area since 2017. He began his sports journalism career with The Star Ledger in northern New Jersey in 2013. During his career, he has written for numerous online and print publications. Holcomb has also self-published four books, including a novel in 2021. In addition to On SI, Holcomb also currently writes for Heavy.com and Athlon Sports.

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