Report: Cardinals won't pick up Isaiah Simmons' 5th-year option

The Arizona Cardinals won't pick up Isaiah Simmons' fifth-year option for the 2024 season, reports NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Simmons, the eighth overall pick in 2020, is entering his fourth NFL season and is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2023 campaign. The 24-year-old will play this year with a $6.57-million cap hit. His fifth-year option would've given him a guaranteed salary of $12.7 million in 2024.

A linebacker by trade, Simmons has played multiple positions since entering the league following an impressive career at Clemson. Though the versatile defender flashed his potential in the slot last year, he's lacked consistency.

Simmons, who's yet to miss a game since turning pro, finished the 2022 season with 99 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions while allowing a passer rating of 104.3 in 74 targets.

The Cardinals allowed the second-most points in the NFL last year. Big defensive changes are expected by the club in 2023 after hiring former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to replace Kliff Kingsbury as head coach.

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