When an NFL franchise finishes 3-14, there’s generally a lot of turnover throughout the offseason, and that could be the case for the New York Giants in 2025.
While breaking down the defensive half of the roster on February 3, The Athletic’s NYG beat reporter Dan Duggan expressed a high level of confidence that linebacker/defensive back Isaiah Simmons will be one of the players leaving town this spring.
“Simmons was left frustrated by his inconsistent role after re-signing on a one-year, $2 million contract,” Duggan explained. “There were some games when Simmons had a similar role to 2023 as a ‘money backer’ on passing downs. But there were other games he didn’t play a single defensive snap.”
“Simmons didn’t play well in his role [either], continuing his career trajectory as a better athlete than a football player,” the reporter went on. Concluding that “Simmons surely will be seeking a change of scenery in free agency.”
Isaiah Simmons’ Sporadic Usage Hints Giants Career Is Over
In 2023, Simmons joined the Giants as a jack-of-all-trades defender that Big Blue supposedly had plans for, only he never really factored much in terms of usage as Duggan noted.
According to Pro Football Focus, Simmons played a season-high 31 defensive snaps against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15 — his only start of the year. He also logged 30 defensive snaps facing the Cleveland Browns in Week 3.
Over the course of those two outings, Simmons was charged with 3 missed tackles and 5 receptions against (off 8 targets) for a total of 60 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.
Aside from those two games, NYG defensive coordinator Shane Bowen didn’t show much trust in Simmons. No other outing reached 20 snaps on the defensive side — with the next highest being 17 — and there were games where the veteran didn’t even dress.
One area Simmons could be missed is on special teams, although he’ll probably seek some sort of a defensive role as a former top 10 selection that’s only 26 years old. PFF awarded Simmons an 88.2 ST grade this season, which was first among Giants contributors that logged 10-plus snaps in that department.
That alone should get him a job somewhere in 2025, but that opportunity is unlikely to come with Big Blue.
Giants Have Special Teamers, Linebackers & Nickelbacks to Account for an Isaiah Simmons Departure
If the Giants were short on linebackers or special teamers, it might make sense to bring Simmons back on a deal with a minimal financial investment — similar to 2024 — but that simply is not the case.
Big Blue dealt with injury after injury at linebacker last year and Simmons still wasn’t utilized. Now that all those players are presumably healthy again, it makes even less sense to keep him around.
Backups like Darius Muasau, Dyontae Johnson (ERFA), Ty Summers (UFA) and Patrick Johnson (UFA) would all likely provide cheaper upside than Simmons if they were to return, and linebacker/special teamer isn’t exactly the most difficult position to replace if you’d prefer to shop around in free agency or the draft.
The Giants certainly don’t need Simmons at nickel — or “money backer” — either, with 2024 draft pick Dru Phillips taking over that role long-term.
Even within the special teams department, another veteran free agent linebacker, Matthew Adams, more than doubled Simmons’ snap count with 303 ST snaps compared to 146. As did backup safety Dane Belton — and Summers, Muasau and Patrick Johnson weren’t far behind.
It’s pretty clear that there’s no longer a strong need for Simmons on the roster in 2025.
