Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Broncos have officially placed the franchise tag on S Justin Simmons.
The Broncos have already confirmed the news.
“We remain focused on reaching a long-term contract agreement with Justin, and he’s a big priority for us,” Broncos executive VP John Elway said Friday. “This is a placeholder in that process and our goal is the same — to make sure that Justin is a Bronco for a long time.”
The Broncos made it clear that Simmons was going to be franchised if they were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term deal before the upcoming deadline.
The franchise tag will cost the Broncos $11.545 million fully guaranteed for the 2020 season, but also buys them time to negotiate a long-term extension.
Simmons, 26, is a former a third-round pick of the Broncos out of Boston College back in 2016. He played out the final year of his four-year, $3.02 million rookie contract that included a $645,420 signing bonus.
Simmons is now in line to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his NFL career.
In 2019, Simmons started all 16 games and recorded 93 tackles, four interceptions, and 15 pass breakups. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 2 safety out of 82 qualifying players.
We had him included in our Top 100 – 2020 Free Agents list.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
