Statements by former Vic Fangio pupil may get the Eagles rumor mill churning

Stop us if you have heard this before. Justin Simmons wants to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. Weren't we entertaining a similar discussion last offseason? For those who may have missed previous conversations, here's the skinny.

The nine-year veteran played for Vic Fangio when the latter led the Denver Broncos as head coach. He earned one of his two Pro Bowl nods in the process (2020). Simmons also notched two Second-Team All-Pro nods while playing for Philly's defensive coordinator (2019, 2021). Justin now has four Second-Team All-Pro nods in total.

Fangio served as a defensive consultant on Nick Sirianni's coaching staff in 2022. After a forgettable season in Miami where the Dolphins, in essence, ran him out of town, he rejoined Philly as the new DC.

That brings us current, for the most part. Last year's discussions about a reunion never led to anything. Simmons joined the Atlanta Falcons, but now, he's looking for a job again after only a single season.

Justin Simmons expresses his interest in reuniting with Vic Fangio for an opportunity with the Philadelphia Eagles.

This one is pretty interesting. To make long stories short, Justin Simmons appeared on Up & Adams recently. He expressed interest in reuniting with not only Coach Fangio but also Eagles DBs coach Christian Parker, who worked with Simmons for three seasons in Denver (2012-23).

While it's an appetizing theory, we doubt the smoke will lead to anything substantial here. Philly has several good young DBs on the roster playing the safety position with Reed Blankenship, Sydney Brown, Lewis Cine, and Tristin McCollum. There's also the subject of Simmons' age.

Philly appears to be interested in getting younger and steering away from older and more expensive free-agent signings. He's 31 years old now, and if the Birds didn't add him in 2024 when this was first mentioned as an idea, it stands to reason there wouldn't be more interest now if Simmons is older and the Eagles treat other defensive positions as more of a priority.