Washington Commanders assistant coach Jason Simmons is expected to join Mike McCarthy and the Pittsburgh Steelers staff in a prominent defensive role, per ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler.
Simmons joined the Commanders in 2024 and, in his first season, helped improve Washington’s pass defense, which, paired with Jayden Daniels at quarterback, led to an NFC Championship appearance.
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He will now reunite with not only McCarthy but also Pittsburgh’s newly named defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, who were both part of the Packers’ 2018 coaching staff. However, while Green Bay finished 6-9-1 — third in the NFC North and missed the postseason — Simmons helped the Packers reach the 2019 NFC Championship Game under Matt LaFleur as head coach.
In his nine seasons with the Packers, Simmons helped Green Bay reach three NFC Championship games in 2014, 2016, and 2019, before leaving to serve as the defensive passing game coordinator for the Carolina Panthers (2020-2021) and the Las Vegas Raiders (2022-2023), and then joining the Commanders in 2024.
In Simmons’ first season in Washington, he improved the team’s pass defense tremendously. Under his guidance, Washington improved from 32nd to 3rd in opponent passing yards per game (189.5), the franchise’s best average since 2004. The defense also ranked 6th in the NFL in opposing completion percentage.
However, after a disappointing 2025 defensive season from the Commanders, Simmons is moving out of Washington, and out of the NFC to pursue a new opportunity with another rebranded franchise.
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This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Defensive assistant departs for Steelers