The biggest reunion everyone will be watching in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first game will be former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith facing his old team. However, there is another matchup between two players who are familiar with each other that could be fun to watch. The Falcons recently added star safety Justin Simmons, who spent the past eight seasons with the Denver Broncos. That means Simmons is more than familiar with Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.
Talking to the media on Wednesday, Simmons was asked if he’s excited to face Wilson in an actual game.
“Yeah, for sure,” Simmons said. “The only other time I played against him would’ve been my second year in the league. Other than that, just been teammates in practice. It was fun learning from him. Like I said, all the accolades I gave him earlier. I’m looking forward to competing against him again in a real-time setting where wins and losses count.”
Simmons and Wilson were together with the Broncos in 2022 and 2023. While people have made it seem like everyone in Denver hated Wilson, Simmons seems to have respect for him more than anything. Their first year together was one of Simmons’ best seasons but also Wilson’s worst. However, they both put in decent performances last year before being cut by the Broncos.
That game Simmons played against Wilson also came in his third year, not his second year. It was Week 1 of the 2018 season, with Simmons and the Broncos winning the game, 27-24. Simmons did manage to intercept Wilson, so maybe that isn’t a good sign for the Steelers in this upcoming game.
In that same media session, Simmons did have a ton of praise for Wilson.
“Russ is a heck of a competitor, a proven success story in this league. In my opinion, a Hall of Fame quarterback,” he said. “He’s gonna have his things out there, and he’s gonna make his plays and we’re gonna make our plays.”
Wilson’s chances at making the Pro Football Hall of Fame have been brought into question recently, but Simmons doesn’t have any doubt his former teammate will be inducted one day. Wilson is a Super Bowl champion, which should help his case, and if he has a decent season with the Steelers, he could really solidify his candidacy.
With the game only a few days away, it won’t be long before we see if Simmons improves his record against Wilson or if Wilson can get his win back. Both players have been successful in this league yet that didn’t stop the Broncos from cutting them. Now both of them are on one-year deals, looking to prove they can still play at a high level. In Week 1, we’ll get an idea of how their redemption stories will go.
