A free agent Brock has his eye on for Seattle Seahawks

May 16, 2024, 4:20 PM

Seattle Seahawks free agent target Justin Simmons...

Justin Simmons of the Denver Broncos during a 2022 game. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Seahawks are less than a week away from the start of voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) and less than one month from kicking off mandatory minicamp, and the roster seems to be fairly set.

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The Seahawks have inked six of their eight 2024 draft picks to contracts – only offensive linemen Christian Haynes and Michael Jerrell are left to sign – and Seattle made a number of smaller deals in free agency to further retool its roster under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. According to Over The Cap, the Seahawks have just $1,343,214 left. With that little remaining, it would appear Seattle simply doesn’t have the ability to make more moves. However, NFL teams always seem to find ways to free up cap space for the right deal.

Is there a free agent still on the market the Seahawks should go after? Former Seahawks quarterback Brock Huard had a player in mind Thursday during Blue 88 on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“They’ve already added at safety. So this is probably a no go, but Justin Simmons is a great player,” Huard said. “The fact that he is still on the streets is, well, he’s just waiting for a whole lot more money.”

The money he’s waiting for may be something the Seahawks don’t have, but Simmons would undoubtedly add a playmaking presence to the back end of Seattle’s defense. Over eight seasons with the Denver Broncos, Simmons piled up 30 interceptions, including a league-high six while playing just 12 games in 2022. He’s also had three or more interceptions in each of the past six seasons.

Justin Simmons tied for the league lead in INTs last season.

He just got his first of this season. 🙌 @jsimms1119 #DENvsKC on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/U9rA3YdBnZ pic.twitter.com/eKpKw630f0

— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2023

“He is such a stud,” Huard said. “He is such a rock on the back end.”

The Seahawks are set at one of their starting safety spots with returning Pro Bowler Julian Love. Rayshawn Jenkins appears to be top candidate for the second starting position after signing a two-year, $12 million deal with the team during the offseason. He’s been an NFL starter the past five seasons between stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars. Returner Coby Bryant and offseason addition K’Von Wallace will also be in competition for playing time at safety.

Huard noted the most likely scenario that would see Simmons head to Seattle is if the Seahawks were to a suffer a significant injury at the position.

“Just keep an eye on Justin Simmons, man,” Huard said. “To me, he is the best player still out on the street waiting for a payday, waiting for an injury. Hope it doesn’t happen, but that dude can ball.”

Listen to Brock Huard’s full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find podcast on the Seattle Sports app.