The Denver Broncos are placing the franchise tag on safety Justin Simmons for the second consecutive season, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday.
Simmons, who was poised to become an unrestricted free agent, becomes the first player to be tagged this offseason. The Broncos now have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal.
"Justin is one of our core guys, and our goal since I got here was to sign him to a long-term deal," Broncos general manager George Paton said Thursday. "We've had good discussions with his agent.