Justin Simmons wandered around Empower Field, thinking about what would come next, as his and the Broncos’ season — and quite possibly his career in Denver — had come to an end Sunday.

“It’s still a little bit raw emotionally for me, so I want to make sure I’m choosing my words wisely, but I was kind of just reminiscing and taking it all in,” Simmons said Monday in a video conference with the media. “Just not really sure what the future holds in terms of all the contract stuff that’s going on. I just was taking everything in — the loss, my teammates, Broncos country. I was just embracing it. That was why I kind of just lingered and hung around.”

Entering an offseason in which he’ll be a free agent, Simmons has made it clear he wants to stay in Denver. And the Broncos should certainly want to keep him — he’s become one of the best safeties in the NFL the last two seasons and made his first Pro Bowl this year.

But with a new general manager coming in and Simmons likely asking to be paid as one of the top safeties in the league, his future in Denver appears to be in question.

“I’d love to answer that in depth, it’s just uncertain what the future holds — just being truthful with this next season,” said Simmons, who played every defensive snap for the Broncos this season. “I’ve always talked about wanting to be here. I hope it’s mutual and all that stuff. We just have to — I don’t know, see. Like I said to start, I just want to choose my words wisely. I’m still a little raw and emotional about the season ending and the game and everything. So, yeah, that’s kind of how I feel about it.”

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Simmons played this season on the franchise tag for approximately $11.4 million. It’s safe to assume if the Broncos and Simmons were to reach an agreement for an extension, he would be paid upward of $15 million, making him one of the highest-paid safeties in the league, according to Spotrac.

“I think this is a must extension, but a second franchise tag isn’t out of the question here either,” said Michael Ginnitti, the co-founder and editor of Spotrac. “Another tag means $13.7M, while I’ve got him valued at $14.6M per year. The top safety contract (Arizona’s Budda Baker) is at $14.75M, so it’s perfectly reasonable to assume Simmons goes north of that on a multiyear deal.”

Simmons didn’t sound all that thrilled Monday when he was asked if he’d be willing to play on the franchise tag again in 2021, something that the Broncos may seriously consider as it’s the cheapest option and would allow them to sign other valuable free agents, such as defensive tackle Shelby Harris.

“I think the season was just difficult. It’s kind of hard to say about the tag and kind of separating the two,” Simmons said. “I think the season in general was difficult with everything that was going on. So, it was just tough in and of itself, but yeah, that’s pretty much how I feel about that. I haven’t had the chance to really sit down and have a conversation with my agent yet, so to your second question, (I) don’t really have an answer.”

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Simmons will likely be at the top of the new general manager’s to-do list this offseason, alongside outside linebacker Von Miller’s club option and whether the Broncos decide to have him back as well.

Free agency starts March 18, meaning the Broncos and Simmons have just over two months to figure out a new deal or he may not be playing in orange and blue next season. And that’s not something the Broncos want.

“Justin’s a great player. We all know that. We love him,” coach Vic Fangio said. “He’s definitely a guy we want back in all of our plans and we’d love to have him. He plays good, he’s a good person and we all want him back.”