{"id":190464,"date":"2025-07-08T08:36:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T08:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/190464\/"},"modified":"2025-07-08T08:36:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T08:36:09","slug":"justin-simmons-sparks-3-team-tug-of-war-with-steelers-eagles-panthers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/190464\/","title":{"rendered":"Justin Simmons Sparks 3-Team Tug-of-War With Steelers, Eagles, Panthers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Steelers shocked fans by trading All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in a daring offseason maneuver. But Mike Tomlin<\/a> isn’t wasting any time looking for his replacement, and one major name has already emerged: veteran safety Justin Simmons.<\/p>\n

The catch? He’s not the only coach pursuing the four-time All-Pro.<\/p>\n

Justin Simmons Under the Radar of Three Teams<\/p>\n

Candice Ward\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

According to NFL Rumors<\/a>, Simmons is garnering significant interest from the Steelers, Eagles, and Panthers. The 30-year-old safety is one of the NFL’s most consistent playmakers, with 32 career interceptions and seven pass deflections alone last season. He’s a proven, resilient performer who immediately strengthens any secondary he’ll join.<\/p>\n

Eagles Could Derail Steelers’ Plans<\/p>\n

Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni considers Simmons a perfect match, particularly after trading away C.J. Gardner-Johnson. With Vic Fangio now leading the Eagles’ defense, the same system that made Simmons a household name in Denver, the fit would feel natural. Tack on the fact that Simmons has expressed lifelong admiration for the Eagles, and this deal becomes ever more likely.<\/p>\n

According to EssentiallySports<\/a>, Pittsburgh may have been hoping for a clean shot at Simmons, but the late entry by Philly may ignite a full-fledged bidding war. If it comes down to familiarity with schemes and next-step title aspirations, the Steelers may be outgunned.<\/p>\n

Don’t Count Out the Panthers<\/p>\n

While everyone’s waiting for the Eagles-Steelers stalemate, the Carolina Panthers have the best angle. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero also operates a Fangio-type defense, and he knows precisely how to tap into Simmons’ strengths.<\/p>\n

The Panthers already signed emerging safety Tre’von Moehrig, but combining him with Justin Simmons<\/a> would accelerate the team’s rebuild.<\/p>\n

Carolina presents Simmons with something that no one else can provide: leadership status on a young, hungry defense. He wouldn’t be part of the puzzle; he’d be the puzzle. And that mentorship role, mixed in with experience in Evero’s scheme, provides the Panthers a legitimate chance to sign him.<\/p>\n

Why Simmons Still Has Gas in the Tank<\/p>\n

Simmons refuses to slow down. He saw nearly every snap in Atlanta in 2024, registering two interceptions and always solid tackling. It’s more than statistics; he provides experience and discipline\u2014two qualities young franchises like Carolina covet desperately.<\/p>\n

For Pittsburgh, Simmons would provide instant stability after Fitzpatrick’s departure. For Philly, he could fit right into a Super Bowl-bound defense. But in Carolina, he might usher in a new lineup.<\/p>\n

While the Simmons sweepstakes rage on, the Panthers may be playing the wisest game of all: the patient building of a culture and waiting for the correct vet to package it together. For Simmons, there is no choice: Be a cog in a machine in Philly or Pittsburgh or be a foundation in Carolina.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Copyright 2025 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pittsburgh Steelers shocked fans by trading All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in a daring offseason maneuver. But Mike…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":190465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2075],"tags":[235,260,2567,7,6559,6,8228,236,109,57],"class_list":{"0":"post-190464","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-carolina-panthers","8":"tag-carolina","9":"tag-carolina-panthers","10":"tag-carolinapanthers","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-justin-simmons","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-nfl-trade-rumors","15":"tag-panthers","16":"tag-philadelphia-eagles","17":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114816705249639319","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}