Justin Simmons Receives Broncos Franchise Tag Before Free Agency

The Denver Broncos announced Friday they will use the franchise tag on safety Justin Simmons.

"We remain focused on reaching a long-term contract agreement with Justin, and he's a big priority for us," general manager John Elway said in a statement. "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."

If the two sides can't agree on a long-term deal ahead of the 2020 season, the franchise tag would come with a one-year tender worth $11.545 million for safeties, per Mike Klis of 9News. 

Simmons has started all 32 games for Denver over the past two seasons, totaling 190 tackles in this stretch. He tied for second on the team with 93 tackles in 2019 while leading the squad with four interceptions and 15 passes defended.

The 26-year-old joined the team as a third-round draft pick in 2016. Though he mostly came off the bench during his first year, he impressed enough for the squad to move on from the more established T.J. Ward the next offseason.

Simmons moved into the starting lineup and has become one of the most reliable defenders in the NFL:

The safety was named second-team All-Pro this past season and has apparently made just as much of an impact for the team off the field.

"Really a good football player, a really good person and a really good teammate," Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said in January, per Aric DiLalla of the team's official website. "He's everything we want in a player."

Denver will now have until July 15 to sign Simmons to a long-term deal.