Isaiah Simmons’ time with the Cardinals has come to an end.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Cardinals have agreed to trade the 2020 first-round pick to the Giants. The Giants will be sending a 2024 seventh-round pick back to Arizona in exchange for Simmons.
Simmons was a star as a versatile piece of the Clemson defense while in college and the Cardinals made him the eighth overall pick as a result. He saw time as an off-ball linebacker, a pass rusher, a safety, and a slot corner while in college and he was never able to find a comfortable and productive fit once he advanced to the NFL level.
General Manager Steve Keim and head coach Kliff Kingsbury were running the show when Simmons joined the Cardinals, but both men were fired after the end of last season. The new regime had Simmons playing safety this offseason and the decision to cut bait for such a small return suggests they did not like what they were seeing out of him.
It’s unclear what the Giants have planned for Simmons, but they get a chance to see if a change of scenery leads to better results from a player who many were high on when he came into the league.