Packers Sign Former Cardinals First-Round Pick

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Green Bay Packers are signing former Arizona Cardinals first-round pick Isaiah Simmons.

From Schultz's X account:

"Sources: Former #Giants LB Isaiah Simmons is signing with the #Packers. Still just 26 years old, Simmons has two career pick-sixes and adds versatility with his ability to play nickel as well."

Simmons hinted at signing with Green Bay on his own X account yesterday:

Simmons entered the league as one of the most promising defensive players in quite some time thanks to his frame (6-4, 238 pounds) and athleticism mixed with his defensive versatility.

The term "unicorn" is often used to describe players who can play numerous positions, though Simmons was the closest thing to the true mythical creature in terms of play.

That's why many in Arizona were excited to welcome Simmons to the desert when the Cardinals drafted him with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft - though the Clemson Tigers product never really found his footing with the organization.

After playing numerous spots such as linebacker and slot corner in Arizona, the Cardinals declined his fifth-year option and traded him in August of 2023 to the New York Giants in exchange for a seventh-round pick.

Simmons started four games for New York that season and earned a second contract with the Giants, though he started just one game in 2024.

Now, Simmons joins a fairly stout Packers defense, though his role is unclear in terms of playing time or actual position he'll operate under for Green Bay.

Though financial terms weren't released, it's fair to say the Packers are making a low risk, high reward move with Simmons - who as Schultz suggested - is still fairly young and can bring athleticism to any room he's in.

Perhaps he'll piece together his career after stops in Arizona and New York.