SIMMONS SIGNS RICHEST DEAL FOR A SAFETY

Justin Simmons became the highestpaid safety in the NFL Friday when he agreed to a four-year, $61 million contract with the Denver Broncos, who had franchised him for a second consecutive season.

The deal that agent Todd France negotiated with General Manager George Paton includes $35 million in guarantees.

The $15.25 million-per-year average also makes Simmons the first safety to break the $15 million mark. Last year, Arizona signed Budda Baker to a four-year deal that averaged $14.75 million per season.

Although Simmons was the first player franchised tagged this offseason, Paton made it clear the $13.729 million tag was just a placeholder to keep him off the open market while they worked out a long-term contract.

A third-round pick out of Boston College in 2016, Simmons has had nearly 300 tackles and a dozen interceptions in the past three years, during which time he hasn’t missed a single snap.

He had a career-best five interceptions last season when he earned his first Pro Bowl berth a year after he was selected as an All-Pro for the first time.

Smith-Schuster staying put

JuJu Smith-Schuster

“lit” with the Steelers.

The free-agent wide receiver surprisingly opted to return just days after strongly hinting that his departure on the open market was imminent.

The deal coincides with what could be quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s final season.

is keeping it

Jags’ Meyer laments limitations

Urban Meyer never got a chance to recruit any free agents to Jacksonville, and he’s not happy about it.

Because of NFL rules, Meyer had to agree to sign players without meeting them in person — a process he found troubling and far different from how things work in college.

“That was awful,” Meyer said Friday. “I don’t believe it should be that way, not when you’re making organization decisions. I don’t know how that rule came about, but to me, that’s not good business.”

Pass coverage model scores

A model classifying zone versus manto-man coverage schemes to measure the before and after pass ability of each defender has won the NFL’s Big Data Bowl.

The winning group of Wei Peng, Marc Richards, Sam Walczak, Jack Werner took home an additional $10,000 prize to bringing their competition total to $25,000.

Notable

The Bengals addressed one of their problem areas — offensive line — through free agency and bid farewell to longtime star Geno Atkins.

Cincinnati bolstered its offensive line, which was a glaring weakness in a 4-11-1 season in 2020, with the signing of ex-Vikings tackle Riley Reiff as the team seeks better protection for quarterback Joe Burrow.

• The Seahawks are bringing back their top running back after reaching an agreement with Chris Carson on a twoyear contract.

• David Andrews says he’s staying in New England. The Patriots’ free agent center confirmed via social media that he is returning to the only team he’s played for, finalizing what the NFL Network reports is a four-year deal.

• The Vikings will forfeit their seventhround selection in the draft this year for a collective bargaining agreement salary cap violation.

• Free agent linebacker Antony Walker agreed to sign a one-year, $3.5 million contract with Cleveland.

• The Giants added a veteran at inside linebacker, reaching an agreement with Reggie Ragland to a one-year, $1.1 million contract.

• The Lions have re-signed long snapper Don Muhlbach, retaining the twotime Pro Bowl player for an 18th season.