The first departure on the Washington Commanders defensive staff has materialized.
Less than two days after news broke of a likely interview elsewhere, reports have now pointed to the first official departure for the Washington Commanders staff on the defensive side of the ball.
After interviewing earlier in the week, Commanders defensive pass game coordinator Jason Simmons is expected to take a "prominent defensive role" on the Steelers' defensive staff. Pittsburgh, who also announced Mike McCarthy as the next head coach, also reportedly went with former Raiders defensive coordinator - and brief Washington coordinator target this offseason - Patrick Graham as the team's next defensive coordinator, giving Simmons an intriguing role on the team he first played for.
The departure, though notable, was also an expected one given new Commanders defensive coordinator Daronte Jones' expertise in the secondary, while Simmons was also passed over during Washington's search that spanned nearly one month.
Jones is expected to bring additional defensive coaches with him from Minnesota, though nothing has surfaced in the days since the hire first broke.
Simmons now returns to the franchise that gave him the chance to start his NFL career. After becoming a fifth round pick with the 137th overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, the former safety played four season with the Pittsburgh Steelers before moving onto the Houston Texans in 2002 where he played six seasons before transitioning into coaching.
But the coaching route did not materialize until he served in several roles with the Green Bay Packers to begin his career. Simmons began as a defensive assistant and secondary coach from 2011 to 2015 before shifting to assistant special teams coach from 2016 to 2017, then back to secondary coach in 2018 and defensive backs coach in 2019.
He then moved onto the Carolina Panthers in 2020 where he was named secondary coach and defensive pass game coordinator before leading the defense to finish second in total defense and third in passing yards allowed across the league in 2021.
Simmons also spent two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders in the same capacity before moving onto Washington to start the Dan Quinn era in 2024, taking on the defensive pass game coordinator role over the last two seasons.
Under his guidance, Washington enjoyed a stark turnaround after finishing third in passing yards allowed per game, but that same secondary struggled to come close to matching those results in 2025 with both cornerback and safety a major need for the Commanders heading into the rest of the offseason.
Simmons was also the second current Commanders assistant to interview elsewhere after run game coordinator Anthony Lynn materialized into a head coaching interview in the head coaching searches for both the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns, though he was passed over for both with Joe Brady and Todd Monken hired instead.