Having faced Isaiah Simmons a couple of seasons ago when he was with the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur knows what Simmons brings to the table and the value he provides as a versatile defensive chess piece.

Now, Simmons is a member of LaFleur’s team after signing a one-year deal with the Packers in free agency.

LaFleur says Simmons will be in Green Bay’s linebacker room, but spoke highly of the former Clemson star’s versatility and ability to be used in different ways on the defensive side of the ball.

“He’s going to be in the linebacker room. But he’s a guy, he’s a very talented player and he’s played a lot of ball in this league, and just try to get him acclimated with our system,” LaFleur said in a press conference Friday.

“The thing that you love about him is he’s got a lot of versatility to do a lot of different things. I know in New York, just when we went against him a couple years ago – specifically, situationally – he was all over the place. So, I think that just tells you his mental capacity in order to be able to understand defensive schemes.”

LaFleur added that the Packers “had a lot of great conversation” with Simmons leading up to signing him.

“So, I know he’s working hard at it, and I think we have a vision for him and we’ll just watch and see how that progresses over time,” LaFleur said.

In his five-year NFL career to this point, Simmons has shown flashes of the versatility, athletic ability and overall potential that enticed the Arizona Cardinals to take him with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Simmons, who spent the last two seasons playing for the Giants, was traded to New York from the Cardinals prior to the 2023 season and then re-signed with the Giants as a free agent last offseason.

The 6-foot-4, 238-pounder played in all 17 games (one start) in 2024, tallying 21 total tackles, one quarterback hit, a forced fumble and two passes defended.

LaFleur said the Packers used star safety Xavier McKinney — a 2024 first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler — as a reference on Simmons before he signed with the team.

Prior to signing with Green Bay in 2024, McKinney was teammates with Simmons in New York during the 2023 season, so LaFleur asked McKinney about Simmons.

“I asked X, and X gave him two thumbs up,” LaFleur said.

“That is meaningful, though, when you have a player like X, coming from New York who was a teammate with him, and you just ask those questions. He said he’s a great teammate, and that’s all I needed to hear.”

In 84 games (42 starts) over his NFL career with the Cardinals and Giants from 2020-24, the 26-year-old Simmons has recorded 329 total tackles (15 for loss), 8.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, 21 passes defended, nine forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and five interceptions, including two he returned for touchdowns.

Simmons played at Clemson from 2016-19. He transitioned from safety in 2017 to the starting nickel/sam linebacker position in 2018 and was eventually named the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker in 2019 in only his second year at the position.