Justin Simmons announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at a noon press conference at the Denver Broncos’ headquarters in Englewood, Colorado.
He is 32 years old. He is retiring as a Bronco, despite having finished his playing career with the Atlanta Falcons, because Denver is where he became who he is, and he wanted the ending to reflect that.
The timing was deliberate. The 32-year-old will be retiring as a member of the Denver Broncos, with his announcement coming on the 10th anniversary of the day the AFC West franchise drafted him.
Exactly a decade to the day. April 29, 2016 was the day the Broncos selected him in the third round out of Boston College. April 29, 2026 is the day he officially closed the chapter.
“Being a Denver Bronco was more than just a team,” Simmons said. “It was my heart, my home and my story.”
Simmons’ Stellar Career
Simmons played nine NFL seasons in total, eight with Denver, one final year with Atlanta in 2024.
He played 134 regular-season games, started 124 of them, and posted 32 career interceptions, 71 passes defensed, 666 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
The number that best defines his career is the interception total. He recorded multiple interceptions in each of his nine NFL seasons, every single year he played professional football.
Over a six-season stretch from 2018 through 2023, he recorded at least three interceptions per season, the only NFL player to do so during that span. In 2022, he led the entire league with six picks.
His 30 interceptions as a Bronco are tied for seventh in franchise history. For a franchise that has had Hall of Fame defensive backs at virtually every position, being seventh all-time is a genuine statement.
He registered 97, 93 and 96 tackles in the three-year span from 2018-2020 and had 666 tackles in his career.
One reason why Simmons was so productive was his impressive durability. He played in 66 consecutive games from the 2018 opener until he suffered a strained quad in the 2022 season opener at Seattle.
Not only did Simmons play every game in that stretch but over three-plus seasons he played 3,363 consecutive defensive snaps.
That number, 3,363 consecutive defensive snaps, is not a statistic that shows up on a highlight reel.
It shows up in the film room, in the coaching staff’s trust, and in the confidence of teammates who knew exactly where he would be on every single play.
Simmons’ Definitive Plays
Simmons had a specific gift for the moment that mattered most. His career in Denver is dotted with plays that turned losses into wins and changed the trajectory of games.
As a rookie in 2016, he leaped over the line of scrimmage and blocked Wil Lutz’s extra point against the New Orleans Saints.
Will Parks scooped it up and returned it the length of the field for a two-point conversion, turning what would have been a 24-23 loss into a 25-23 win.
The play became one of the most memorable moments in recent Broncos history, and it announced Simmons as someone who was not going to be a passive participant in his own career.
What followed over the next eight seasons were game-sealing interceptions against the Raiders, Dolphins and Commanders, each one at a critical moment, each one preserving a win that meant something to a team that desperately needed wins.
In 2023, his interception against the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes and the team that owned Denver’s division for a decade, earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time.
Simmons Finishes His Career Without A Single Postseason Game
Simmons was also one of the league’s best players who never played in a postseason game. The Broncos won Super Bowl 50 in February 2016, months before Simmons arrived.
From the day he stepped on the field in Denver through his final game with the Broncos in 2023, the team missed the playoffs every single season.
Eight consecutive years of postseason absence from one of the NFL’s most storied franchises, with one of the franchise’s best players watching from home in January every year.
He never publicly made it about himself. He never demanded a trade to a contender. He stayed, he led, he showed up for the community, and he became the constant around which an otherwise inconsistent franchise could organize itself.
For a franchise that has spent much of the last decade searching for continuity, Simmons represented exactly that.
He arrived as a third-round pick joining the defending Super Bowl champions. He leaves as one of the most decorated defensive backs in Broncos history.
The Contract That Made History
In March 2021, the Broncos signed Simmons to a four-year, $61 million extension that was at the time the largest contract ever given to a safety in NFL history.
The franchise had applied the tag to him in both 2020 and 2021, paying him $11.4 million and then $13.69 million in those two seasons, before finally committing to the long-term deal that reflected what he was worth.
Three years later, in March 2024, the Broncos released him. The roster had changed, the cap situation had evolved, and the organization made the decision that it was time to move on.
The Broncos issued a statement that was unusually warm for a business transaction:
“Justin will always be a Bronco, and we thank him for the outstanding manner in which he represented our organization on and off the field.”
He signed with the Atlanta Falcons for 2024, started 16 games and recorded two interceptions.
He did not play in 2025, remaining a free agent as the offseason came and went without a contract. He has not participated in a professional game since January 5, 2025.
When the 2026 draft arrived without a team showing the interest that would have kept him playing, he decided the right way to end the story was to end it where it began.
The Man Off The Field
The Broncos’ official retirement statement put the off-field legacy ahead of the on-field production, which is itself a statement about what Simmons represented to the organization.
“In addition to growing into an All-Pro and team captain, Justin became our perennial Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year devoted to uplifting others and using his influence for positive change. Whether it was in Denver or his hometown of Stuart, Florida, Justin inspired and mentored countless youth while providing unwavering support to the community. The hundreds of hours he spent at the Denver Broncos Boys and Girls Club will be as much a part of Justin’s legacy with the Broncos as his leadership, dependability and many interceptions.”
He was nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, the league’s most prestigious off-field honor, three times.
The Justin Simmons Foundation continues its work in both Denver and Stuart, Florida, and Simmons has said he plans to remain in the Denver area.
What Does Simmons Have Planned For Retirement?
Simmons plans to attend the Broncos’ 2026 home opener as a fan, sitting in the stadium’s lower bowl and watching the team he led for eight seasons from the other side.
His wife Taryn, their daughters Laney and Shae, and their son Kyler will be with him.
He posted multiple interceptions in each of his nine professional seasons. He never played in a playoff game.
He signed the biggest safety contract in NFL history and was still ultimately released before his extension expired.
He played 3,363 consecutive defensive snaps. He blocked an extra point as a rookie that became a two-point conversion and a win.
None of it happened anywhere other than Denver. The retirement press conference was in Englewood. The date was chosen intentionally. Ten years to the day.
“I’m always going to be a Bronco,” he said. “This is my home.”
