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Atlanta Falcons safety Justin Simmons.
After signing a Super Bowl winning head coach and trading for a veteran quarterback this offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders are clearly trying to change the culture of a franchise that has not won a playoff game since the 2002 NFL season.
Could the Raiders be a top option for a former All-Pro safety who is still available in free agency entering the upcoming 2025 NFL season?
Raiders Named a Top Landing Spot for Former All-Pro Safety Justin Simmons
The Raiders may have signed Jeremy Chinn this offseason but that didn’t stop Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports from naming Las Vegas as a top landing spot for veteran safety Justin Simmons, who is still available in free agency.
Benjamin wrote, “Linked to big-name cover men like Jaire Alexander and Jalen Ramsey thanks to their dearth of proven options at cornerback, the Raiders could just as easily use a savvy starter on the back end under the defensively minded Pete Carroll. Besides possessing plenty of 2025 salary cap space to add help, the Raiders also employ pass game coordinator Joe Woods, who served as Simmons’ first defensive backs coach in Denver.”
Benjamin mentioned the possibility of the Raiders adding a top veteran cornerback like the recent released Jaire Alexander or current Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey as potential options to bolster a cornerback room that lacks a bit of star power at the moment. Jakorian Bennett, Darnay Holmes, Eric Stokes, and rookie Darien Porter are all competing for full-time roles entering the 2025 NFL season.
Yet, the addition of Simmons is one that could make sense too. The Raiders gave up an average of 216.2 passing yards per game last season, which ranked 16th in the league.
New Raiders head coach Pete Carroll was the man in charge when the Legion of Boom reigned supreme in Seattle a decade ago. The addition of a talent like Simmons could help reshape this Las Vegas secondary in the mold of what Carroll was used to during his time with the Seahawks.
How Would Justin Simmons Figure Into Raiders Secondary in 2025?
The current projected starting safeties for the Raiders entering the 2025 NFL season are Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao.
Chinn is an impactful box safety who has tallied over 100 total tackles in three of his first five seasons in the league, while Pola-Mao showcased promise as a single-high safety in 2024 with 89 total tackles and five passes defensed in his first season with meaningful action in the NFL.
If the Raiders believe Simmons would be an upgrade over Pola-Mao as a ranging single-high backstop for this secondary, then adding Simmons would make sense.
It would likely come at the expense of Pola-Mao’s development, but the Raiders move to trade for a veteran quarterback this offseason certainly suggests this team is not aiming to simply rebuild in 2025.
Simmons is coming off of a rough year with just 62 total tackles with the Atlanta Falcons and is on the wrong side of 30. It is entirely possible Simmons most productive days as a pro are in the rearview mirror.
Yet, if Simmons can return to his 2020 form — where he produced 96 total tackles and five interceptions — for one more season, then taking a chance on an aging veteran could bring substantial returns for Las Vegas in 2025.
