New York Giants re-sign former first-rounder Isaiah Simmons

The New York Giants are bringing Isaiah Simmons back for another season, the team announced on Friday. Simmons is inking a new deal out of free agency to stay with the Giants who acquired him in a trade from the Cardinals last August.

The linebacker is entering his fifth year in the league this season. He spent the first three years of his career with Arizona after they snagged him No. 8 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson. In three seasons for the Cardinals, he had 258 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss and four interceptions.

In 2023, Simmons posted 50 tackles in 17 games played for the Giants. He had one sack, an interception, and a touchdown as the team went 6-11.

The Kansas native initially signed a four-year rookie deal for $20.6 million. The Cardinals declined his fifth-year option that would have cost them $12.7 million and opted to move him to the Giants before the start of the 2023 season. They exchanged a seventh-round pick for him in this year’s draft. It was a trade that seemingly benefitted the Giants more than it did Arizona, but analysts cited a lack of consistency from the former Tigers linebacker.

“I don’t think it was an issue of what Isaiah did, he did everything that we asked him to do,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said at the time of the trade. “Moving forward we feel this is the best way we want to play football against other people. We’re going to try and put the best guys out there that can function and do the best job.”

Simmons became a free agent for the first time in his career when his rookie deal expired on March 13. After less than a month on the market, he now opts to stay with the Giants for another season.

More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2024 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who will become unrestricted free agents.

In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline follows the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.