The Carolina Panthers may have tried to reel in a pretty big fish for their secondary last season.
Now-retired safety Justin Simmons was featured as a guest on the latest episode of the Schultz Report podcast. The two-time Pro Bowler and four-time second-team All-Pro went through the 2025 campaign as a free agent, but told host Jordan Schultz that he was in constant talks to join the Panthers.
"I was talking with Carolina most of the season," Simmons stated. "Ejiro Evero was my [defensive coordinator] for one year, in the '22 season—and I loved his defense. We were talking back and forth. One of my [defensive back] coaches actually was out there, too—Renaldo Hill.
"So I was talking to them for most of the season. We were just kinda going back and forth—trying to get numbers right, but also just talking scheme and what's gonna be asked of me if I'm coming in there and trying to lead and do all the things. It ended up just not working out."
As Simmons laid out, he and Evero teamed up in 2022 with the Denver Broncos. That campaign saw Simmons record 69 combined tackles and a career-high six interceptions en route to his third All-Pro nod.
His final season was spent within the NFC South, as a member of the Atlanta Falcons in 2024. Simmons noted that his year in Atlanta was "hard on his family," which motivated him to try to land with a real Super Bowl contender in 2025.
Apparently unable to come to terms with Simmons, the Panthers started fellow veteran Nick Scott at free safety for all 18 of their games. Scott, who's back in Carolina for 2026 on a one-year pact , finished with a career-high 111 tackles and an interception.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Justin Simmons says he was in constant talks with Panthers for 2025
