The Packers are signing former No. 8 overall pick Isaiah Simmons, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Simmons will head to Green Bay after two years in New York.
Not coming especially close to living up to his draft slot, Simmons still maintained his status a role player for the Giants. This comes two weeks after Simmons paid a free agency visit to Green Bay.
After acquiring him in a 2023 trade from the Cardinals, the Giants deployed Simmons in all 34 of their games over the past two seasons. He only started five, but the former Clemson hybrid performer still carries some value heading into a sixth NFL season.
Simmons logged 377 defensive snaps in 2023 but saw that number drop 181 last season. Having experience at safety and in the slot, Simmons will come to Wisconsin as one of the NFL’s most versatile defenders. Of course, the former high-end prospect not being able to establish himself as a dependable starter at any of those spots over the long haul has led to a steep value decline.
The Giants re-signed Simmons on a one-year, $2MM deal in 2024. This marked a sharp reduction for a player who locked in a fully guaranteed $20.66MM as a Steve Keim-era first-round pick. Months after Keim’s Arizona exit, replacement Monti Ossenfort traded Simmons — during a three-trade day for the rebuilding team — for just a 2024 seventh-round pick. The Giants stint did not boost Simmons’ value much, but the Packers will see what he can provide.
Simmons, 26, is the rare linebacker to be given a regular slot role. The Cards stationed him in the slot on 409 plays in 2022. Eighty-six of Simmons’ 181 defensive snaps last season also came in the slot. It will be interesting if the Packers, who slid Keisean Nixon to more of an outside role last season, attempt to tap into this unusual skillset as well.
The Cardinals did not pick up Simmons’ fifth-year option in 2022, though that has become commonplace — as off-ball linebacker options are annually being declined due to a formula that groups on- and off-ball linebackers under one umbrella. But Simmons’ play fell well short of option consideration.
The Packers are likely to decline Quay Walker‘s fifth-year option by Thursday’s deadline, though they are still open to working out an extension — likely at a reduced rate. The team used two draft choices on off-ball LBs last year, adding Edgerrin Cooper in Round 2 and Ty’Ron Hopper in Round 3. Cooper became an every-down player, while Hopper settled in as a backup. Simmons’ steadiest role for the Giants came on special teams, though they had designs on deploying him as a DB. It will be interesting to see how the Packers use Simmons, who will likely be positioned as a depth piece heading into OTAs.