Updated July 3, 2026, 12:31 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
It may have happened a bit later than some expected, but safety Isaiah Simmons believes he found himself a home with the Carolina Panthers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com profiled<\/a> Carolina’s ascending special teams unit in an article on Thursday. Among those included in the piece was Simmons\u2014who signed on<\/a> with the Panthers midway through the 2025 campaign, then re-upped<\/a> on a one-year deal this past spring.<\/p>\n And despite playing just half a season, almost entirely on special teams, Simmons feels like he’s carved out a spot for himself in Charlotte.<\/p>\n “It feels good,” Simmons said of returning to Carolina this offseason, via Hill.<\/p>\n “I always say I like who likes me, so it just feels good. It feels like home here, besides all the Clemson love I get around here. I get a lot of love from everyone here and support from everybody on the staff, everybody in the building, everybody on the team, it just feels good.”<\/p>\n Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n That Clemson love seemed like a real thing six years ago, when Simmons was heralded as a favorite for the Panthers’ first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Carolina, instead, opted for Auburn defensive lineman Derrick Brown with the seventh overall selection\u2014leaving Simmons to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 8.<\/p>\n Simmons would struggle to find his footing in the league, picking up brief stints with the New York Giants<\/a> and Green Bay Packers<\/a> following his disappointing three-year stay in Arizona. But that may be changing in Carolina.<\/p>\n The Panthers began to use Simmons on special teams in Week 13 of the 2025 season, during their 31-28 win<\/a> over the Los Angeles Rams. Fittingly enough, his best moment would come in the rematch versus Los Angeles in the wild-card round bout in January\u2014where he blocked a punt late in the fourth quarter to aid late rally in the near-upset.<\/p>\n “Unfortunately, I like winning a lot more than the plays that happened in the game,” Simmons stated of the eventual 34-31 defeat<\/a>. “That loss, obviously, that hurt us a lot because we all felt like we should have come out with that win, but I like winning. I hate losing more than I like to win, so sometimes I just kind of forget about those plays when they happen because we didn’t win.”<\/p>\n Hopefully for Simmons and the Panthers, those kinds of plays will translate into more wins this upcoming season.<\/p>\n