John Simpson spent the 2023 season with the Baltimore Ravens, getting his “swag back” while helping pave the way for the NFL’s top rushing attack.

Now, the former Clemson offensive lineman is headed to play in New York.

This week, Simpson agreed with the Jets on a two-year deal worth up to $18 million, and he sat down with team reporter Ethan Greenberg to explain why he wanted to sign with the Jets at the start of free agency.

“This is a great organization, that’s first thing first,” Simpson said. “Their GM, Joe [Douglas], he hit me up and he said, ‘We want you,’ and I was like, ‘Say less.’ That kind of was my mindset. But I’m happy to be here for sure.”

A fourth-round pick of the Raiders in the 2020 NFL Draft (109th overall), Simpson played the first three seasons of his NFL career in Las Vegas. The former All-American at Clemson started 18 games for the Raiders in 2021 but was mostly a reserve for the team in 2022, starting only a couple of games.

After being released by the Raiders in December 2022, Simpson was signed by Baltimore shortly thereafter. The 26-year-old ended up starting all 17 regular season games for the Ravens in 2023, along with each of their two postseason games, and he played more than 1,000 total snaps while being a consistent presence up front for the league’s No. 1 rushing offense (156.5 yards per game).

Simpson credits the Ravens for helping him get his swagger back, saying his confidence has “grown extremely” from his time in Las Vegas to Baltimore to now.

“My confidence going into my fourth season, it wasn’t the best, I ain’t gonna lie,” he said. “It was down because of everything that I went through and stuff like that. But going to that organization and being around the people that they had there kind of helped me get back to where I needed to be, helped me get my swag back, and I really appreciate those guys for doing that and I plan on keeping that same swag for sure.”

Simpson served as the Ravens’ left guard, and it’s the position he’s expected to continue playing in New York.

What will the 6-foot-4, 330-pounder be bringing to the Jets organization?

“Energy is the biggest thing, and physicality, tenacity,” he said. “I just want to be the most aggressive person on the field, doing my job and trying to do my job as best as I can and not worrying too much about what everybody else got to say – just focusing on what I gotta do. That’s the biggest thing for sure.”

At Clemson, Simpson played both guard positions for the Tigers in 2017 before earning a starting role. He helped Clemson post a 29-1 record during his two seasons as a full-time starter.

The North Charleston, S.C., native played 2,047 snaps over 50 games (29 starts) in his career as a Tiger (2016-19). He earned consensus All-America status in 2019.

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