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Former 1st-round pick speaks on his return to Panthers
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- Former 1st-round pick speaks on his return to Panthers
It may have happened a bit later than some expected, but safety Isaiah Simmons believes he found himself a home with the Carolina Panthers .
Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com profiled Carolina's ascending special teams unit in an article on Friday. Among those included in the piece was Simmons—who signed on with the Panthers midway through the 2025 campaign, then re-upped on a one-year deal this past spring.
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And despite playing just half a season, almost entirely on special teams, Simmons feels like he's carved out a spot for himself in Charlotte.
"It feels good," Simmons said of returning to Carolina this offseason, via Hill.
"I always say I like who likes me, so it just feels good. It feels like home here, besides all the Clemson love I get around here. I get a lot of love from everyone here and support from everybody on the staff, everybody in the building, everybody on the team, it just feels good."
That Clemson love seemed like a real thing six years ago, when Simmons was heralded as a favorite for the Panthers' first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Carolina, instead, opted for Auburn defensive lineman Derrick Brown with the seventh overall selection—leaving Simmons to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 8.
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Simmons would struggle to find his footing in the league, picking up brief stints with the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers following his disappointing three-year stay in Arizona. But that may be changing in Carolina.
The Panthers began to use Simmons on special teams in Week 13 of the 2025 season, during their 31-28 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Fittingly enough, his best moment would come in the rematch versus Los Angeles in the wild-card round bout in January—where he blocked a punt late in the fourth quarter to aid late rally in the near-upset.
"Unfortunately, I like winning a lot more than the plays that happened in the game," Simmons stated of the eventual 34-31 defeat . "That loss, obviously, that hurt us a lot because we all felt like we should have come out with that win, but I like winning. I hate losing more than I like to win, so sometimes I just kind of forget about those plays when they happen because we didn't win."
Hopefully for Simmons and the Panthers, those kinds of plays will translate into more wins this upcoming season.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Former 1st-round pick speaks on his return to Panthers
