By Mallory Mattingly
After nine seasons in the NFL, Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons has decided to hang up his cleats after 10 years in the league.
According to Sports Spectrum, the All-Pro Bowler spent the first “first eight seasons in Denver before playing the 2024 season with the Atlanta Falcons; he didn’t play in 2025. He retires with 32 career interceptions, which ranks second in the NFL since 2016 behind Kevin Byard, and his 30 picks in a Broncos uniform rank sixth in franchise history.”
“Being a Denver Bronco was more than just a team. It was my heart, my home and my story,” Simmons wrote in a post shared by the Broncos announcing his retirement.
During his final press conference on Wednesday, the athlete expressed nothing but gratitude.
Related: How Denver Broncos Safety Justin Simmons Relies on the Gospel
“This is more than I deserve,” Simmons shared. “This is truly one-of-one. I can’t put into words how thankful I am for the generosity and the hospitality that you’ve shown my family and I. Like I said, this is beyond my wildest dreams. Ten years ago to the day, walking into the building, eyes [wide] like this, not knowing whose hands I’m shaking, but just wanting to make a difference on the field.”
After the 2023 season, Simmons was traded from the Broncos to the Atlanta Falcons. When the trade was final, he walked into the Broncos facility to say “thank you” and “goodbye,” something not many players do after they’re traded.
“There is so much that goes into playing well on Sunday. Even outside of practice. The nutritionist, the athletic trainer, those in the training room, the people upstairs in the front office who help with logistics, and so many others,” the safety told the Denver Post in 2024. “I might not have said ‘thank you’ every day I walked in, but I wanted to make sure that my last time roaming those halls as a player I said ‘thank you’ and took time to let them all know that their work and words behind closed doors meant so much to me and played a big part in my success.”
Troy Renck of the Denver Post said of Simmons, “Employees who have been with the Broncos for the past two decades could not recall a player more gracious in his departure, more intentional in his purpose.”
Moving without his wife and children was the most “miserable” part about the transition to Atlanta.
“Literally a week-and-a-half into it, it was the most miserable part of being in Atlanta. It was hard,” he explained in the press conference on Wednesday. “I felt like I was parenting on FaceTime. It was hard being away from the kids. It was hard seeing Taryn struggle with them out here — not on her own but without dad it’s hard. I missed my wife. I missed my kids. I missed what was so familiar for eight years. It’s things that I took for granted and you don’t know until it’s gone.”
When his season in Atlanta concluded, Simmons returned home as a free agent. With a desire to still play, he turned on the TV and watched his Broncos compete in the playoffs.
“But while I was sitting on the couch cheering for the Broncos and watching some of my guys play around the league, there was a sense of peace that I hadn’t really felt before,” he continued. “Honestly, every day that went by, I was still training, still hoping to play, but every day that went by I felt like my relationship with my family was growing. For eight years, I didn’t have that.”
“…It came to the surface, like, it’s just time. Praying about it. We wanted to be very diligent and taking our time, but it was just time. I’ve always been so thankful for the crew that I’ve had around my life, the village of people that it takes because they helped me make that decision,” the safety added.
As Simmons’ career comes to an end, he the peace and gratitude he feels for his time in the NFL will help his transition to the next phase of life.
Read Next: Broncos’ Justin Simmons Leads Team as ‘Follower of Jesus’
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