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Where does recently-retired Justin Simmons rank among Broncos' greatest safeties? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Looking across the history of the Denver Broncos, the team has had a storied run at the safety position. Some of the best safeties in NFL history have called Denver home.
On Wednesday, one of those players, Justin Simmons, officially called it a career. After signing a one-day contract with the team that drafted him in the third round in 2016, Simmons retired as a member of the team. The team's official website took a good look back on his career.
"Being a Denver Bronco was more than just a team. It was my heart, my home and my story. I want to be remembered as someone who gave his all and tried his best and I'll always be a Denver Bronco", said Simmons.
Looking back on his career, Simmons was a Second-team All-Pro four times and he earned two trips to the Pro Bowl. Sadly, he never played in a postseason game.
The Broncos released him in a cost-cutting move ahead of the 2024 season and he then signed with the Atlanta Falcons. He spent the 2025 season out of the league, but teams had interest in bringing him aboard. He only wanted to continue his playing career in certain places and there is almost no doubt he always wanted a chance to come back to Denver.
Simmons ranks seventh in team history with 30 interceptions. He was one of the best safeties to ever play for a team that has had several of them. Let's look back at some of those and see where Simmons ranks.
Broncos' all-time greatest safeties
Steve Atwater is the best safety in Broncos' history and one of the best that ever played the game. The former first-round pick went to eight Pro Bowls and helped the Broncos win their first two Super Bowls before being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Right behind him is the hard-hitting Dennis Smith, a 6-time Pro-Bowler himself who actually made Atwater even better.
The team has some throwbacks to consider in Austin "Goose" Gonsoulin and Billy Thompson. Gonsoulin ranks second in team history with 43 interceptions and Thompson is third with 40.
Then you have Steve Foley, often forgotten on some of these all-time lists, but he is the franchise's all-time leader with 44 interceptions. The Broncos finally inducted him into the team's Ring of Fame in 2024, something that was long overdue.
Many Broncos fans will bring up John Lynch. One of the best safeties in NFL history, he spent just four seasons with the Broncos. Though he made the Pro Bowl in each of those and was eventually included in the team's Ring of Fame, Simmons' eight seasons and overall time with the team should be ranked a bit higher.
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With all of that in mind, Simmons finds himself at No. 6 on the team's all-time list for safeties, behind Atwater, Smith, Gonsoulin, Thompson and Foley, in that order. Though he'll likely never receive consideration for Canton, he should be a future inductee into the Broncos' Ring of Fame.
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