Denver Broncos general manager George Paton believes Justin Simmons is one of the best safeties in the NFL, that’s why he made him the highest-paid safety in the league with a four-year contract extension.
While Simmons is a top talent, Broncos coach Vic Fangio believes the defensive back can get even better.
“He quarterbacks our secondary and plays a major role in our entire defense from an on-field leadership job and does very well,” Fangio said at Monday’s press conference. “He’s here on a daily basis and shows up and plays every game. Those are things that you sometimes take for granted, but we, as coaches, do not. That’s played a big part in his success.
“The exciting thing is, I think he can even get better. He’s definitely young enough to get better, he’ll work to get better, and we’ll do a better job of coaching him. I think he still has better football to be seen by everybody moving forward, and we’re looking forward to that.”
Simmons, who earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2019 and was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2020, agrees with his coach.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of things I could do individually to get better, echoing what Coach Vic said,” Simmons admitted Tuesday. “I don’t even thing I’ve played, personally, my best ball.”
Simmons totaled 94 tackles, nine pass breakups and five interceptions in 2020. He’ll look to post even better numbers in 2021 and beyond.
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