The Denver Broncos have awarded Safety Justin Simmons Franchise Day for the second year in a row. The team announced on Friday.
Simmons is the first player to be awarded the franchise tag this year, otherwise he would have become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. Both sides now have until July 15th to negotiate a long-term contract.
Under Franchise Day, Simmons would collect a guaranteed salary of $ 13.729 million in 2021 if he signs the franchise tender. That’s 120 percent of his previous year’s salary of $ 11.441 million.
“Providing Justin with the Franchise Tag is a procedural step that will allow us to continue working on a long-term deal,” said General Manager George Paton in a statement. “We’re completely focused on keeping Justin a big part of the Denver Broncos for many more years.”
Simmons was a third-round pick of the 2016 Broncos and would originally have become a free agent for the first time in 2020. The franchise day at the time prevented this. In 2020 he was elected to the Pro Bowl for the first time.
Teams have until next Tuesday at 10 p.m. (CET) to hold one of their unrestricted free agents with the Franchise Tag.
