Report: Packers Release Isaiah Simmons

Drafted by the Cardinals, he had a couple of strong seasons before a new regime in Arizona traded him to the Giants in 2023. After languishing mostly on the bench in New York for two seasons, he signed with the Packers in free agency.

“Ultimately, my decision was based off of just somebody who really had a plan for me,

The plan was anchoring Simmons at linebacker, the position at which he starred at Clemson, rather than playing him at linebacker, in the slot or on the edge depending on the whims of the coaches and the need at the time.

Simmons said it’d been “about three years since I was in the true linebacker world.” He thought his combination of height, length and athleticism would allow him to “separate” himself at the position.

“A lot of stuff he’s doing for the first time,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “I thought he did some good things and there’s some things he needs to correct, which is what the preseason is for and what camp is for. But I thought he’s done some really nice things in practice. Hopefully, that will continue and he’ll get more comfortable and we’ll see that translate to the field.”

It was a difficult transition, which is why he played the second-most snaps of anyone on the defense in the preseason. While his incredible combination of size and athleticism was obvious, he struggled in the passing game in the first two preseason games. The view from linebacker is much different than in the slot, and the acclimation process was a challenge at times.

“We all see he’s an unbelievable athlete,” coach Matt LaFleur said recently. “I think it’s just getting more used to playing behind the ball. Really, as with most players, it’s the level of consistency that you can go out there and play each play, because I think he’s done a lot of good things. And then there’s some things that we absolutely need to clean up.”

Time ran out for Simmons in Green Bay’s crowded linebacker room. When Quay Walker was out following ankle surgery, Simmons ran with the first-team defense. Once Walker was fully integrated into practice, the Packers quickly settled on Walker, Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah McDuffie as their top three linebackers.

Simmons delivered a strong performance in the preseason finale against Seattle. But it was too little, too late. For what it’s worth, of the 157 linebackers who played at least 30 defensive snaps in the preseason, Simmons ranked 154th in PFF’s grades.

“I don’t think it’s been up to my standard,” Simmons said last week. “I just feel like I’ve been thinking too much instead of just being myself. Trying to play too perfect, as opposed to just playing.”

“I’ve always been my own biggest critic, and I think that’s just kind of played a major part into it,” he added. “Being a little too hard on myself and not understanding that in football, mistakes are going to happen. Nobody’s going to play a perfect game. And just understanding mistakes are going to happen as opposed to playing to not make mistakes.”

With the ascendance of 2024 third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper, the Packers had to choose between the potential of Simmons and the reliability of Kristian Welch. Welch is a proven player on special teams and Simmons had the potential to be a weapon in that phase, too. Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia used him as a flier on the punt team with success.

“He’s extremely athletic,” Bisaccia said. “He’s got great size. He’s got great speed. We’re asking him to do some things in the kicking game that he has not done before. He’s been willing to do anything and everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s been a great teammate to this point.

“We’re trying to put him in position to do what he does well to help us in the kicking game. He’s got a certain skill-set because of his height and speed, we’re going to try to put him in a position where he can hopefully help. But he’s been great since he’s been here.”

At the start of training camp, Simmons was brimming with confidence. He had been a productive player. From the 2020 draft class, Simmons and Antoine Winfield were the only players with at least 300 tackles, eight sacks, 15 tackles for losses, five interceptions and 15 passes defensed.

“I feel like I’m a guy who could be a top guy in this league,” he said. “My mind will never change with that. At this point, I just feel like sky’s the limit and I have nothing to do but grow.”