The Philadelphia Eagles went through a ton of changes in the secondary in the offseason. They shockingly traded safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans. The Eagles also saw cornerbacks Isaiah Rodgers and Darius Slay leave in free agency and sign with different teams.
Fans weren’t worried about the loss of Slay and Rodgers, due to the play of the young corners on the roster. However, they wondered what the Eagles would do to replace Gardner-Johnson, who once again proved to be a playmaker in the secondary.
One name mentioned as a potential replacement for Gardner-Johnson was Justin Simmons, who has ties to Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, dating back to their days with the Denver Broncos.
On Monday, Sheena Quick of FOX Sports Radio 1340 reported that the Carolina Panthers have spoken with Simmons’ representatives, but nothing is imminent.
I’m told by a league source that the #Panthers talked to Justin Simmons’ representatives but nothing is imminent.
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) June 16, 2025
This clearly signals Simmons is holding out for a better landing spot, such as Philly, since he's apparently not itching to sign with a middling team that has shown interest.
Throughout the offseason, Simmons has been connected to the Eagles in one way or another, despite Philly taking Andrew Mukuba in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. However, the Eagles are clearly worried about the guys on their roster.
This is the first time this offseason that we’ve heard a team openly express interest in Simmons. The veteran defensive back has received little to no traction on the open market since free agency began in March.
The 31-year-old Simmons spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons, where he had a solid 2024 campaign. The veteran defender racked up 62 combined tackles, seven pass deflections, two tackles for loss, and two interceptions.
However, Simmons had a 60.8 coverage grade (ranked 85th among 171 qualified safeties) and a 53.8 run defense grade (149th), per PFF. Despite those grades and his age, one would think that he would’ve signed with a new team by now.
Instead, that hasn’t been the case for the veteran defender. If Philly didn't draft a safety, they might have considered Simmons. However, the Eagles are content with their open competition between Mukuba, Sydney Brown, and Tristin McCollum.