4-Time All-Pro Safety Justin Simmons Puts Family First in Retiring From Football

Former 4-time All-Pro and 2-time Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons is calling it a career.

Simmons returned to the Denver Broncos, the team that drafted him, to retire with the team 10 years to the day after he was drafted. He spent 8 years in Denver, a year with the Atlanta Falcons, and spent last season out of football. But at his retirement press conference Wednesday, he said he wanted to spend more time with his family, which he missed during his playing days.

Simmons was introduced by Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Atwater.

“Steve Atwater just talked for me. That’s pretty crazy,” he said, joking that he wished he could have hit like the Broncos legend.

He also thanked the Broncos’ public relations staff for putting on the press conference and ceremonies for him. He also thanked his wife and children for standing by him throughout his career; his mother for the sacrifices she made when he was playing football growing up; the agents who helped him through his career; legendary Broncos quarterback and former executive John Elway for drafting him; current general manager George Paton for signing him to a long-term extension; and all the team’s staff, former coaches he played for, and players he played with in his time in Denver.

Simmons was drafted by the Broncos in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He sat behind veteran free safety Darian Stewart on the Broncos’ championship “No Fly Zone” defense as a rookie, but made an early impression during his rookie season when he blocked what would have been a game-winning extra point attempt against the New Orleans Saints. The ball was picked up by fellow rookie safety Will Parks and returned for a safety. He started 3 games in his rookie season and appeared in 13, totaling 30 tackles, 1 sack, 4 passes defended, and 2 interceptions.

Simmons won a starting role in 2017 and never looked back. He had his best season tackling in 2018, with 97 total tackles; defending the pass in 2019 with 15 passes defended; and forcing turnovers in 2022, with 3 forced fumbles, a recovery, and a league-leading 6 interceptions. He was named to 2 Pro Bowls and earned 4 Second Team All-Pro selections in his eight seasons with the Broncos. He was a cap casualty for the team in 2024.

Simmons signed with the Atlanta Falcons in the 2024 free agency cycle. He won the starting safety spot there as well, and racked up 62 total tackles, 7 passes defended, and 2 interceptions.

Simmons got candid about his time in Atlanta. He joined the team with an expectation to make the playoffs, something he never experienced in Denver. But his family was going to stay behind in Denver, and his wife would come to home games with his family. He was excited to live the bachelor life again, but almost immediately found himself miserable.

“It was hard, man,” he said. “I felt like I was parenting on FaceTime. It was hard being away from the kids. It was hard seeing Taryn struggle with them out here. Not on her own, but without dad, it’s hard. And yeah, I missed my wife. I missed my kids. I missed what was so familiar for eight years, things that I took for granted that you never know until it’s gone.”

He still wanted to play in 2025, but told his family that he was going to be very selective with the team he ended up playing for. But the opportunities he did have fell through, and while he trained and prepared to play, he felt an overwhelming sense of peace being at home with his family and watching the game from his couch.

“Every day that went by, I felt like my relationship with my family was growing. And for eight years, I didn’t have that. Even living [in Denver], there’s so much that you sacrifice being a player, and I was loving every second of it. And so that sat with me, and it settled, and it came to the surface of like, ‘It’s just time,'” he said.

“Praying about it, we wanted to be very diligent in taking our time, but it was just time. And so whatever steps I’m going to take next, whatever career I step into is going to be what I’m supposed to be doing. And I’ve never looked at myself as just a football player, and I’m really excited for the next journey.”