The Broncos’ final game of the 2020 season was complete, but Justin Simmons wasn’t ready to leave.

In a pandemic-altered season that has seen players and coaches scurry back to their locker rooms more quickly than usual, Simmons lingered. He looked around the field and the empty stands of Empower Field at Mile High. Under the bright lights and the canopy of darkness, amid the growing chill of a winter, he reflected.

Five seasons in Denver changed the trajectory of his life — and likely that for future generations of his family. From being a compensatory third-round selection, Simmons grew into one of the best safeties in the NFL.

Simmons also became the latest link in the franchise’s brilliant chain of safeties, a group whose greatness began with original Bronco Austin “Goose” Gonsoulin during the franchise’s hardscrabble formative years,

From Gonsoulin to Billy Thompson to Steve Foley to Dennis Smith to Steve Atwater to John Lynch to Brian Dawkins to T.J. Ward and now to Simmons, with other outstanding players such as Mike Harden, Nick Ferguson, Darian Stewart and Tyrone Braxton sprinkled in over the years, the Broncos’ tradition of safety excellence is strong.

Even though Simmons didn’t get an All-Pro nod Friday, his Pro Bowl selection — atop of being a second-team All-Pro last season — validates his excellence. Back-to-back years as the Broncos’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee confirm his dignity and the degree to which he has impacted the Denver area.

The next book chronicling Broncos history that I write will include the exploits of Simmons. Thus, one truly will not be able to tell the story of the Broncos without mentioning the team’s beloved No. 31.

The path that pushed him into elite company echoed through his mind.

“It’s still a little bit raw emotionally for me, so I want to make sure I’m choosing my words wisely, but I was kind of just reminiscing and taking it all in,” he said Monday. “At first, I was mad about the loss and just was looking around and looking at the empty stadium. Just thinking about Broncos country and the growth that I’ve had throughout my career, and just kind of taking it all in.”

On Instagram, Simmons posted a picture of himself walking off the field.

The caption? “Thank you, Broncos Country.”

 

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A post shared by Justin Simmons (@jsimms1119)

But not long after Simmons offered his heartfelt thanks to the media, the ground under the Broncos’ feet changed with the seismic news that Elway would hand final-say authority to a new general manager. Interviews via Zoom conference began Friday and will continue Saturday.

On Jan. 5, before the interview process began, Broncos coach Vic Fangio said it was “obvious” that the team “would love to have” both Simmons and outside linebacker Von Miller return for 2021. But Fangio noted it would also be in the hands of the new general manager.

“Once we do hire the new general manager, he’ll assess our roster, where we’re at, how it relates to salary cap, and he’ll have the major say in that moving forward,” Fangio said. “I’d like to defer to that, but both of those guys are guys that I would like to have back.”

The Broncos have two alternatives to bring him back. One is a multi-year contract that would likely see a guaranteed figure of at least $30 million and an average annual salary of around $15 million. Another is to bring him back for a second consecutive year on a franchise tag; in past instances, this has often driven a wedge between the team and the player, creating a chasm that is not breached after that season.

Perhaps just in case neither option comes to fruition, Simmons closed his season-ending Zoom press conference last week with a message of thanks to the media. His former teammate, cornerback Chris Harris Jr., offered similar sentiments in an informal locker-room question-and-answer session one year earlier.

This doesn’t mean that Simmons is gone. But it means that the reality of the situation remains tenuous. For the Broncos’ new general manager, Simmons’ status might not be the No. 1 task in front of him. But it will not be far down the list.