View source for Phil Simms

{{Short description|American football player and sportscaster (born 1955)}}
{{other people|Phillip Sims}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Phil Simms
| image       = Phil Simms Feb 2019 3 (cropped).jpg
| alt         =
| caption     = Simms in 2019
| number      = 11
| position    = [[Quarterback]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1955|11|3}}
| birth_place = [[Springfield, Kentucky]], U.S.
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 3
| weight_lbs  = 216
| high_school = [[Southern High School (Kentucky)|Southern]] ([[Louisville, Kentucky]])
| college     = [[Morehead State Eagles football|Morehead State]] (1974–1978)
| draftyear   = 1979
| draftround  = 1
| draftpick   = 7
| pastteams   = * [[New York Giants]] ({{NFL Year|1979}}–{{NFL Year|1993}})
| highlights  = * 2× [[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl XXI|XXI]], [[Super Bowl XXV|XXV]])
* [[Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award|Super Bowl MVP]] ([[Super Bowl XXI|XXI]])
* [[Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award|NFL Man of the Year]] ({{NFL Year|1993}})
* 2× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1986 Pro Bowl|1985]], [[1994 Pro Bowl|1993]])
* [[Jim Thorpe Trophy]] ({{NFL Year|1986}})
* [[Newspaper Enterprise Association|NEA]] First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1986 All-Pro Team|1986]])
* [[Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team|PFWA All-Rookie Team]] ([[Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team#1979|1979]])
* [[New York Giants#Ring of Honor|New York Giants Ring of Honor]]
* [[New York Giants#Retired numbers|New York Giants No. 11]] retired
;NFL records
* Highest completion percentage in a Super Bowl (minimum 14 pass attempts): 88%, Super Bowl XXI<ref>{{Cite web |title=Highest completion percentage by a player in a Super Bowl, minimum 14 pass attempts |url=https://statm.us/e/m/azROZQN0P |access-date=March 8, 2024 |website=StatMuse |language=en}}</ref> 
* Highest [[passer rating]] in a Super Bowl (minimum 14 pass attempts): 150.9, Super Bowl XXI<ref>{{Cite web |title=Highest passer rating by a player in a Super Bowl, minimum 14 pass attempts |url=https://statm.us/e/m/AKDDHWVyu |access-date=March 8, 2024 |website=StatMuse |language=en}}</ref>
| statlabel1  = Passing attempts
| statvalue1  = 4,647
| statlabel2  = Passing completions
| statvalue2  = 2,576
| statlabel3  = Completion percentage
| statvalue3  = 55.4%
| statlabel4  = [[Touchdown|TD]]–[[Interception|INT]]
| statvalue4  = 199–157
| statlabel5  = Passing yards
| statvalue5  = 33,462
| statlabel6  = [[Passer rating]]
| statvalue6  = 78.8
| pfr         = SimmPh00 
}}

'''Phillip Martin Simms''' (born November 3, 1955) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] [[quarterback]] who played in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for 14 seasons with the [[New York Giants]]. After playing [[college football]] for the [[Morehead State Eagles football|Morehead State Eagles]], Simms was selected in the first round by the Giants as the seventh overall pick in the [[1979 NFL draft]]. Simms was named [[Most Valuable Player]] (MVP) of [[Super Bowl XXI]], after he led the Giants to a 39–20 win over the [[Denver Broncos]] and set the record for highest completion percentage in a Super Bowl, completing 22 of 25 passes (88%), as well as the highest passer rating in a Super Bowl at 150.9; both of these records still stand. He was also named to the [[NFL Pro Bowl|Pro Bowl]] for his performances in the [[1985 NFL season|1985]] and [[1993 NFL season|1993 season]]s.

He finished his career with 33,462 passing yards and would go on to be a career broadcaster of NFL games—first as an analyst for [[ESPN]], then as an in-game color commentator with [[NBC]] and [[CBS]]. He left CBS in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Jason |date=April 30, 2024 |title=Two Major Names are Leaving CBS Sports' NFL Show Amid Shakeup |url=https://foxsportsradio.iheart.com/content/2024-04-30-two-major-names-are-leaving-cbs-sports-nfl-show-amid-shakeup/ |access-date=May 14, 2024 |website=www.foxsportsradio.iheart.com |language=en-US}}</ref> He is the father of former NFL quarterback, assistant coach, and current NFL football analyst [[Chris Simms]] and former quarterback [[Matt Simms (American football)|Matt Simms]].

==Early life==
Simms was born in [[Springfield, Kentucky]], on his grandfather's farm, a place now called Maple Hill Manor in [[Washington County, Kentucky|Washington County]], where he attended St. Dominic's Elementary. While in [[elementary school]], his family moved to [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]] and he went to St. Rita Catholic grade school. Simms was the quarterback of the Trojans of [[Southern High School (Kentucky)|Southern High School]] in Louisville and graduated in 1974.

==College career==
Simms chose to attend [[NCAA Division I FCS]] (formerly Division 1 AA) [[Morehead State Eagles football|Morehead State]] of the [[Ohio Valley Conference]] in nearby [[Morehead, Kentucky|Morehead]].

The [[Morehead State Eagles football|Morehead State Eagles]] ran a ball-control offense,<ref name="Morehead">Katz, Michael. [https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/04/archives/its-simms-of-morehead-state-giants-pick-simms-a-quarterback-no1.html It's Simms of Morehead State; Giants Pick Simms, A Quarterback, No.1], ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 4, 1979, accessed May 10, 2007.</ref> and Simms' numbers were unspectacular—in his senior season he completed 92 of 173 passes for a 53.2% [[completion percentage]] and had six [[touchdown]] passes, 11 [[interception]]s, and 1,229 yards.<ref name="Morehead"/> The Ohio Valley moved up to the new [[NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision|Division I-AA]] in [[1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season|1978]], but the Eagles went 2–6–1; they failed to make the postseason during his college career.<ref name="Morehead"/> Simms finished with 409 completions in 835 attempts for a 48.9% completion percentage.<ref name="Morehead"/> He also totaled 32 touchdowns, 45 interceptions, and a school-record 5,545 yards.<ref name="Morehead"/> Morehead State renamed its football venue of Jayne Stadium to [[Phil Simms Stadium]] prior to the Eagles' 2025 homecoming game on October 18.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://msueagles.com/news/2025/6/23/general-morehead-state-to-recognize-phil-simms-with-honorary-stadium-naming-during-homecoming.aspx |title=Morehead State to Recognize Phil Simms with Honorary Stadium Naming During Homecoming |publisher=Morehead State Eagles |date=June 23, 2025 |access-date=June 25, 2025}}</ref>

==Professional career==
===NFL draft===
Before the [[1979 NFL draft]], new [[1979 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] head coach [[Bill Walsh (American football coach)|Bill Walsh]] flew to Morehead State with assistant coach [[Sam Wyche]] to work out Simms.<ref>Simms and Meier. pp. 74–75.</ref> Walsh was so impressed that he planned to draft Simms in the third round, preferring him over the quarterback they ultimately took, [[Joe Montana]] of [[1978 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame]].<ref name="Sports Illustrated">King, Peter. {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130102145526/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1023438/index.htm "The Rating Game: Nfl Quarterback"]}}, ''Sports Illustrated'', Volume 95, issue 8, August 27, 2001, p. 60. {{ISSN|0038-822X}}</ref> But the [[1979 New York Giants season|New York Giants]] decided to make Simms their [[1979 NFL draft#Round one|first round]] pick (seventh overall) to the surprise of many.<ref name="Simms">Katz, Michael. [https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/05/archives/giants-defend-value-in-choice-of-simms-perkins-optimistic-giants.html Giants Defend 'Value' in Choice of Simms; Perkins Optimistic Giants Selections], ''The New York Times'', May 5, 1979. Retrieved March 20, 2007.</ref> As Simms acknowledged, "most people have never heard of me."<ref name="Simms"/> When Simms's name was announced by Commissioner [[Pete Rozelle]] in front of the audience at the draft in New York, his selection was booed loudly by the Giants fans in attendance.<ref name=beefupbf>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AOkRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6902%2C1670873 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Ohio State linebacker goes to beef up Buffalo |date=May 4, 1979 |page=49}}</ref><ref>Mooney, Roger. [http://www.bradenton.com/234/story/29444.html No team takes Phil Simms first in today's NFL]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''[[Bradenton Herald]]'', April 22, 2007, accessed May 10, 2007.</ref> He was the second quarterback taken; [[Jack Thompson (American football)|Jack Thompson]] of [[1978 Washington State Cougars football team|Washington State]] went to [[1979 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati]] with the third overall pick. Simms was not then happy being a Giant either, "All I was thinking was which teams I would rather play for—the [[1979 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]], the [[1979 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]], [[1979 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego]], San Francisco..."<ref>Whittingham. pg. 41</ref> But he became popular with his teammates, who jokingly dubbed him "[[Prince Valiant]]" in his rookie training camp.<ref>Katz, Michael. [https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/11/archives/giants-test-simms-in-a-workout-pisarcik-overweight.html Giants Test Simms in A Workout; Pisarcik Overweight], ''The New York Times'', May 11, 1979. Retrieved March 20, 2007.</ref>

===Rookie year===
Simms won the first five starts of his rookie year in [[1979 New York Giants season|1979]];<ref name="Rovell">{{cite web | url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=1915377 | title=Roethlisberger in demand | last=Rovell | first=Darren | date=November 3, 2004 | work=ESPN.com | access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref> finishing with a 6–4 record, threw for 1,743&nbsp;yards and 13 touchdown passes, and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.<ref>Neft, Cohen, and Korch. p. 660</ref> He was runner-up for [[NFL Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year]], behind future teammate [[Ottis Anderson]].<ref>Pervin. p. 104</ref>

===Early career: 1980–1986===
Simms' next four years were marred by injuries and inconsistent play. He finished the [[1980 NFL season|1980 season]] with 15 touchdowns and 19 [[interception]]s, while completing a subpar 48.0% of his passes for 2,321 yards.<ref name="dbf"/> In 1981, Simms threw for 2,031 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions on 54.4% [[completion percentage]]<ref name="dbf"/> before suffering a separated shoulder in a November 15 loss to the [[Washington Redskins]].<ref>Neft, Cohen, and Korch. pg. 724</ref> With Simms out, the Giants went on a run led by [[Scott Brunner]] and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Simms suffered a torn knee ligament in a preseason game against the [[New York Jets]], preventing him from playing the entire [[1982 NFL season|1982 season]].<ref>Neft, Cohen, and Korch. pg. 744</ref> Following the season, [[Ray Perkins]] resigned as head coach to take over the same position at the [[University of Alabama]], and was replaced by the team's [[defensive coordinator]] [[Bill Parcells]]. In the coming years this change would prove crucial to the Giants and Simms.

One of Parcells' first decisions as coach was to replace Simms as the starting quarterback with Brunner.<ref>Neft, Cohen, and Korch. pg. 766</ref> Simms asked to be traded after the benching, but his request was ignored.<ref name="Po29"/> During the sixth game of the Giants' [[1983 NFL season|1983 Season]], Simms came in to replace the struggling Brunner against the [[Philadelphia Eagles]]. On his third drive, Simms suffered a season-ending injury when the thumb on his throwing hand hit a player's helmet on his follow-through. The injury was reported as a dislocation, but according to the book, ''Simms to McConkey'', written by [[Phil McConkey]], Simms, and [[Dick Schaap]], the injury was much more severe, with the thumb literally hanging off after impact, and the bone sticking out through the skin.<ref>McConkey, Simms, and Schaap. pg. 81</ref>

During his first few years on the team, Giants fans were merciless in their treatment of Simms, who they felt was a disappointment. He commented that his wife "had to sit up in the stands and listen to them cuss me."<ref name="Po29"/> However, in 1984, after many seasons plagued by injuries and up-and-down play, Simms finally emerged as a team offensive leader. During his 1983 injury, [[offensive coordinator]] [[Ron Erhardt]] talked Simms into watching more game film, something he had not regularly done in college or the pros. He gained a better understanding of NFL defenses, his team's formations, and pass protection schemes, and improved his ability to [[Audible (American football)|audible]] at the line of scrimmage. He also changed his strength training regimen in an attempt to make his body more resistant to injury.<ref>Pervin. pg. 105</ref> He passed for 4,044 yards (second most in the [[National Football Conference]] (NFC)), 22 touchdown passes, and led the Giants to a playoff berth.<ref>[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nyg/1984.htm 1984 New York Giants], football-reference.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.</ref>

He was voted to the Pro Bowl and named Pro Bowl MVP<ref name="dbf"/> as he led the NFC to a comeback win over the [[American Football Conference]] (AFC) by throwing three touchdowns. In 1985, he passed for 3,829 yards, 22 touchdowns,<ref name="dbf"/> and led the Giants to 10 victories, the most for a Giants team since [[1963 NFL season|1963]].<ref name="NYG">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070409232314/http://www.databasefootball.com/teams/teampage.htm?tm=NYG&lg=nfl New York Giants (1925 - )]}}, databasefootball.com, accessed May 9, 2007.</ref> In a game against the [[Cincinnati Bengals]] during the [[1985 NFL season|1985 season]], Simms passed for 513 yards—the fifth most passing yards in a single game in NFL history.<ref name="NFL All-Time Passing Yards Leaders, Game">Weir, Tom. [https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/games/2006-11-19-bengals-saints_x.htm Palmer, Johnson have Saints singing the blues], [[USA Today|usatoday.com]], November 20, 2006. Retrieved January 3, 2007.</ref> In 1986, he passed for 3,487 yards and 21 touchdown passes during [[1986 New York Giants season|a season in which the Giants won 14 games]]. In week 11, he completed a desperate fourth-and-17 pass to Bobby Johnson late in the game to set up [[Raul Allegre]]'s game-winning field goal, which gave the Giants a 22–20 victory over the [[Minnesota Vikings]].<ref name="Anderson">Anderson, Dave. [https://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F50716F6345E0C748DDDA80994DE484D81 Sports Of The Times; Phil Simms's Biggest Pass], ''The New York Times'', November 17, 1986. Retrieved March 20, 2007.</ref> Simms later commented:<ref>Schwartz. pg. 161</ref>

{{blockquote|It's my favorite game in my career, because it's everything I always wanted to be as a player. I wanted to be tough, making big throws, immune to pressure, not worried about outcomes. It was truly like standing on the tee box in golf and there's trees on each side and water and you just go 'Man, I'm gonna rip it down the middle.' And no other thought crosses your mind.}}
[[File:President Ronald Reagan with New York Giants football team.jpg|thumb|Simms at the White House following the Giants [[Super Bowl XXI]] victory.]]
On January 25, 1987, the Giants faced the [[1986 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] in [[Super Bowl XXI]]. In the biggest game of his life, Simms had one of the finest performances in Super Bowl history.<ref name="Phil Simms' Record Setting Performance">[http://www.superbowl.com/history/mvps/game/sbxxi Super Bowl MVPs] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111175546/http://www.superbowl.com/history/mvps/game/sbxxi |date=November 11, 2006 }}, Super Bowl.com. Retrieved January 6, 2007.</ref> He completed 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards, setting Super Bowl records for consecutive completions (10),<ref name="Super Bowl XXI"/> accuracy (88%),<ref name="Super Bowl XXI">[http://www.superbowl.com/history/recaps/game/sbxxi Super Bowl Recaps: Super Bowl XXI] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502165109/http://www.superbowl.com/history/recaps/game/sbxxi |date=May 2, 2007 }}, Super Bowl.com. Retrieved January 3, 2007.</ref> and [[passer rating]] (150.9).<ref name="SB record">[http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=sbd.preview&storyId=SBD2007020129 THE DAILY Goes One-on-One With Super Bowl Analyst Phil Simms], sportsbusinessdaily.com, accessed May 9, 2007.</ref> In addition, he threw 3 touchdown passes and his passer rating set an NFL postseason record.<ref name="SB record"/> "This might be the best game a quarterback has ever played", Giants coach [[Bill Parcells]] later said.<ref name="ESPN.com">[https://www.espn.com/page2/s/list/superbowl/performances.html The List: Best Super Bowl performances], espn.com. Retrieved January 1, 2007.</ref> Two of the most famous plays from the game were the [[Flea flicker (American football)|flea flicker]] to McConkey, and the touchdown pass caught by McConkey off of the fingertips of Giants [[tight end]], [[Mark Bavaro]].<ref>Anderson, Dave. [https://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F40713FB39550C758EDDA80894DF484D81 SUPER BOWL XXI: SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Sinatra, Simms and Minelli ], ''The New York Times'', January 26, 1987, accessed May 10, 2007.</ref> The Giants defeated the Broncos 39–20, and Simms was named [[Most Valuable Player|MVP]] of Super Bowl XXI. He is credited for being the first to use the phrase "[[I'm going to Disney World!]]" following a championship victory.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foote |first=Dustin |date=February 5, 2021 |title=The first player to say "I'm going to Disney World" after winning the Super Bowl wasn't the only one paid to do so that day |url=https://deadspin.com/the-first-player-to-say-i-m-going-to-disney-world-aft-1846205410/ |website=www.deadspin.com |access-date=October 4, 2024}}</ref>

===Later career: 1987–1993===
Simms performed well in the strike-shortened [[1987 NFL season]], finishing with the second highest [[quarterback rating]] in the NFC.<ref name="The Football Database">[http://www.footballdb.com/stats.html?yr=1987&lg=NFL&conf=&mode=P 1987 NFL Statistic – Passing], footballdb.com. Retrieved January 1, 2007.</ref> He threw for 2,230 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions.<ref name="dbf"/> He passed for 3,359 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while completing 54.9% of his passes in the [[1988 New York Giants season|1988 season]].<ref name="dbf"/> The Giants rebounded from a 6–9 record in 1987 to finish 10–6<ref name="NYG"/> but fell just short of the playoffs due to the NFL [[NFL playoffs#Current playoff system|tie-breaker system]]. In [[1989 New York Giants season|1989]], the Giants started 8–1 and finished 12–4, Simms passed for 3,061 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions on 56.3% completion percentage.<ref name="dbf"/> He performed consistently most of the season except for a two-game stretch against the [[1989 Philadelphia Eagles season|Eagles]] and [[1989 San Francisco 49ers season|49ers]] where he produced seven [[Turnover (football)|turnovers]], six of which resulted in points for the opposition.<ref>Neft, Cohen, and Korch. p. 894</ref> He also struggled in the Giants' playoff game against the [[1989 Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]], and the Giants lost 19–13. In [[1990 New York Giants season|1990]], Simms was having one of his finest seasons, leading the NFC with the highest [[quarterback rating]] (92.7)<ref name="The Football Database2">[http://www.footballdb.com/stats.html?yr=1990&lg=NFL 1990 NFL Statistic – Passing], footballdb.com. Retrieved January 1, 2007.</ref> and the Giants to an 11–3 record, but his season was cut short due to a broken foot suffered in the Week 15 game against the Giants' eventual [[Super Bowl XXV]] opponent, the [[1990 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]]. The Giants defeated the Bills 20–19 in the Super Bowl with [[Jeff Hostetler]] filling in at quarterback.

After the Giants' Super Bowl victory, Parcells resigned and was replaced by the team's running backs coach, [[Ray Handley]].<ref name="Handley">Neft, Cohen, and Korch. p. 936</ref> One of Handley's first decisions was to select Hostetler as the team's starting quarterback following his performance in Super Bowl XXV.<ref name="Handley"/> Simms saw only spot action in two games prior to Week 13, when Hostetler broke his back in a game against the [[1991 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season|Tampa Bay Buccaneers]]. Simms finished the game and reclaimed the starting job, but won only once in his remaining four starts as the Giants failed to return to the playoffs at 8–8.

Simms was named the starter for the [[1992 New York Giants season|1992 season]] after beating out Hostetler for the job in preseason. Simms suffered a severe arm injury in a Week 4 loss to the [[1992 Los Angeles Raiders season|Los Angeles Raiders]] and missed the remainder of the season. Between the 1991 and 1992 seasons, he amassed a combined 1,905 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions while completing 59.3% of his passes.<ref name="dbf"/> The Giants finished the 1992 season at 6–10, which led to Handley's firing and the hiring of former Denver Broncos coach [[Dan Reeves]]. As part of an overall house cleaning, Reeves released Hostetler and named Simms his starting quarterback.<ref>{{cite news | last=Smith | first=Timothy W. | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/16/sports/football-giants-tell-simms-that-he-s-the-boss.html | title=FOOTBALL; Giants Tell Simms That He's The Boss | work=The New York Times | date=June 16, 1993 | access-date=March 22, 2007}}</ref> Simms started all 16 games in 1993, being one of only seven quarterbacks to do so, and led the Giants to a resurgent [[1993 New York Giants season|11–5 season]] including a victory over the [[1993 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] in the playoffs.<ref name="1993NYG">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081228004722/http://www.databasefootball.com/teams/teamyear.htm?tm=NYG&lg=nfl&yr=1993 1993 New York Giants]}}, databasefootball.com, accessed May 9, 2007.</ref> He underwent shoulder surgery after the [[1993 NFL season]] to repair a [[Glenoid labrum|torn labrum]]. The surgery was successful, and team doctor Russell F. Warren's prognosis for recovery was excellent, and Simms was expected to be ready in time for training camp.<ref name="The New York Times Online Archives">[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E1DC123AF931A35750C0A962958260 PRO FOOTBALL; Simms's Surgery Goes Well], ''The New York Times'', March 2, 1994. Retrieved January 1, 2007.</ref> However, later during that offseason, Simms was released by the Giants, and subsequently decided to retire. Upon his release, co-owner [[Wellington Mara]] called it "a day of overwhelming sadness."<ref>Pervin. p. 107</ref> In an interview in the 2024 documentary "The Duke: The Giant Life of Wellington Mara", Simms recalled that Mara didn't agree with the decision to let him go and was willing to make changes to the front office to ensure Simms stayed, but Simms declined saying it would just make it worse.

Simms considered playing for the [[Arizona Cardinals|Cardinals]] in 1994 and the [[Cleveland Browns|Browns]] in 1995, but eventually decided to stay retired.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Timothy W.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/03/sports/pro-football-deal-with-browns-simms-passes-for-now.html|title=Deal With Browns? Simms Passes, for Now|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 3, 1995|access-date=September 18, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/27/sports/pro-football-cardinals-and-simms-call-things-off.html|title = PRO FOOTBALL; Cardinals and Simms Call Things off|newspaper = The New York Times|date = September 27, 1994|last = Smith|first = Timothy W.}}</ref>

In his 14 seasons with the Giants, Simms completed 2,576 out of 4,647 passes for 33,462 yards and 199 touchdowns.<ref name="dbf">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070527002259/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=SIMMSPHI01 Phil Simms]}}, databasefootball.com, accessed May 9, 2007.</ref> His career passing yardage total ranked him at 11th in NFL history at the time of his retirement.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/pass_yds_career_1993.htm | title=NFL Career Passing Yards Leaders Through 1993 | website=Pro-Football-Reference.com | access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref> He added 349 carries for 1,252 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground.<ref name="dbf"/> He set team records for most passes completed and attempted in one game (40 and 62, respectively), season (286, 533), and career (2,576, 4,647), most career touchdown passes (199) and most 300-yard games in a career (21).<ref>[http://www.nfl.com/writers/simms Phil Simms] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070506133515/http://www.nfl.com/writers/simms |date=May 6, 2007 }}, [[NFL.com]], accessed May 9, 2007.</ref> Simms still owns some of the New York Giants passing records, although [[Eli Manning]] has surpassed most of them: season passes (387 completed, 618 attempted), career completed passes (4,895), career touchdowns (366), career 300-yard games (53).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nyg/career-passing.htm | title=New York Giants Career Passing Leaders | website=Pro-Football-Reference.com | access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.footballdb.com/players/eli-manning-manniel01/300-yard-passing-games | title=Eli Manning 300-Yard Passing Games | website=FootballDB.com | access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref> ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' considered Simms to be the "Most Underrated Quarterback" in NFL history in their August 27, 2001, issue entitled, "The Most Overrated and Underrated".<ref name="Sports Illustrated"/>

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|-
! colspan="2"| Legend
|-
| style="background:#f4c842; width:3em;"|
| [[Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award|Super Bowl MVP]]
|-
| style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"|
| Won the [[Super Bowl]]
|-
| '''Bold'''
| Career high
|}

===Regular season===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="3"| Games
! colspan="8"| Passing
|-
! GP !! GS !! Record !! Cmp !! Att !! Pct !! Yds !! Avg !! TD !! Int !! Rtg
|-
! [[1979 NFL season|1979]] !! [[1979 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 12 || 11 || 6–5 || 134 || 265 || 50.6 || 1,743 || 6.6 || 13 || 14 || 66.0
|-
! [[1980 NFL season|1980]] !! [[1980 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 13 || 13 || 3–10 || 193 || 402 || 48.0 || 2,321 || 5.8 || 15 || 19 || 58.9 
|-
! [[1981 NFL season|1981]] !! [[1981 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 10 || 10 || 5–5 || 172 || 316 || 54.4 || 2,031 || 6.4 || 11 || 9 || 74.0 
|-
! [[1983 NFL season|1983]] !! [[1983 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 2 || 0 || — || 7 || 13 || 53.8 || 130 || '''10.0''' || 0 || 1 || 56.6
|-
! [[1984 NFL season|1984]] !! [[1984 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 16 || 16 || 9–7 || '''286''' || '''533''' || 53.7 || '''4,044''' || 7.6 || '''22''' || 18 || 78.1
|-
! [[1985 NFL season|1985]] !! [[1985 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 16 || 16 || 10–6 || 275 || 495 || 55.6 || 3,829 || 7.7 || '''22''' || 20 || 78.6
|-
! style="background:#f4c842; width:3em;"|[[1986 NFL season|1986]] !! style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"|[[1986 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 16 || 16 || '''14–2''' || 259 || 468 || 55.3 || 3,487 || 7.5 || 21 || '''22''' || 74.6
|-
! [[1987 NFL season|1987]] !! [[1987 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 9 || 9 || 4–5 || 163 || 282 || 57.8 || 2,230 || 7.9 || 17 || 9 || 90.0 
|-
! [[1988 NFL season|1988]] !! [[1988 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 15 || 15 || 9–6 || 253 || 479 || 54.9 || 3,359 || 7.0 || 21 || 11 || 82.1
|-
! [[1989 NFL season|1989]] !! [[1989 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 15 || 15 || 11–4 || 228 || 405 || 56.3 || 3,061 || 7.6 || 14 || 14 || 77.6
|-
! [[1990 NFL season|1990]] !! style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"|[[1990 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 14 || 14 || 11–3 || 184 || 311 || 59.2 || 2,284 || 7.3 || 15 || 4 || '''92.7''' 
|-
! [[1991 NFL season|1991]] !! [[1991 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 6 || 4 || 1–3 || 82 || 141 || 58.3 || 993 || 7.0 || 8 || 4 || 87.0 
|-
! [[1992 NFL season|1992]] !! [[1992 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 4 || 4 || 1–3 || 83 || 137 || 60.6 || 812 || 6.7 || 5 || 3 || 83.3
|-
! [[1993 NFL season|1993]] !! [[1993 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 16 || 16 || 11–5 || 247 || 400 || '''61.8''' || 3,038 || 7.6 || 15 || 9 || 88.3 
|-
! colspan="2"| Total !! 164 !! 159 !! 95–64 !! 2,576 !! 4,647 !! 55.4 !! 33,462 !! 7.2 !! 199 !! 157 !! 78.5
|}

===Postseason===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="3"| Games
! colspan="8"| Passing
|-
! GP !! GS !! Record !! Cmp !! Att !! Pct !! Yds !! Avg !! TD !! Int !! Rtg
|-
! [[1984 NFL season|1984]] !! [[1984 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 2 || 2 || 1–1 || '''47''' || '''75''' || 62.7 || 397 || 5.3 || 0 || '''2''' || 65.2
|-
! [[1985 NFL season|1985]] !! [[1985 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 2 || 2 || 1–1 || 29 || 66 || '''67.1''' || 390 || 5.9 || 2 || 1 || 67.1
|-
! style="background:#f4c842; width:3em;"|[[1986 NFL season|1986]] !! style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"|[[1986 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 3 || 3 || '''3–0''' || 38 || 58 || 65.5 || '''494''' || '''8.5''' || '''8''' || 0 || '''131.8'''
|-
! [[1989 NFL season|1989]] !! [[1989 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 1 || 1 || 0–1 || 14 || 29 || 48.3 || 180 || 6.2 || 0 || 1 || 53.8
|-
! [[1990 NFL season|1990]] !! style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"|[[1990 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 0 || 0 || colspan="9" |''Did not play due to injury''
|-
! [[1993 NFL season|1993]] !! [[1993 New York Giants season|NYG]]
| 2 || 2 || 1–1 || 29 || 51 || 56.9 || 218 || 4.3 || 0 || '''2''' || 50.9 
|-
! colspan="2"|Total !! 10 !! 10 !! 6–4 !! 157 !! 279 !! 56.3 !! 1,679 !! 6.0 !! 10 !! 6 !! 77.0
|}

=== Giants franchise records===
As of the 2017 NFL off-season, Simms still held at least 13 Giants franchise records, including:<ref>{{Cite web |title=New York Giants Career Passing Leaders |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nyg/career-passing.htm |access-date=2025-07-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>
* Most Passing Yards (game): 513 (1985-10-13 @CIN)
* Most Passing Yards (game, as a rookie): 300 (1979-10-14 SFO)
* Most Intercepted (rookie season): 14 (1979; tied with [[Joe Pisarcik]])
* Best Passer Rating (playoff season): 131.8 (1986)
* Best Passer Rating (playoff game): 150.9 (1987-01-25 DEN)
* Most Sacked (career): 477
* Most Sacked (season): 55 (1984)
* Most Sacked (game): 9 (1981-11-01 NYJ)
* Most Sacked (playoff game): 6 (1984-12-29 @SFO and 1986-01-05 @CHI; tied with [[Eli Manning]])
* Most Sacked (rookie season): 39 (1979)
* Most Yds/Pass Att (game): 13.63 (1984-09-02 PHI)
* Most Yds/Pass Att (playoff game): 10.72 (1987-01-25 DEN)
* Most 300+ yard passing games (rookie season): 1

==Post NFL career==
[[File:Phil Simms Feb 2019 2.jpg|thumb|Simms (center) during a CBS broadcast in 2019]]
On September 4, 1995, Simms' jersey was retired in a halftime ceremony of a game versus the Dallas Cowboys. During an emotional speech, Simms stated that he wanted to don his jersey one final time, and throw "one more pass" to teammate [[Lawrence Taylor]].<ref>[http://media.espn.com/MediaZone/PressKits/NFL2005/MNF_list.htm MNF 36: The List Monday Night Football Special (Original Air Date: August 25, 2005)], espn.com. Retrieved January 12, 2007. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107093138/https://espnpressroom.com/us/ |date=November 7, 2021 }}</ref> Simms later commented, "[a]ll of a sudden it kind of hit me, I've put Lawrence in a really tough spot; national TV, he's got dress shoes and a sports jacket on, and he's had a few beers and he's going to run down the field and I'm going to throw him a pass."<ref name="NFL">[[NFL Films]], [[NFL Network]]. Retrieved April 22, 2007.</ref> Simms then motioned for Taylor to run a longer pattern, and after 30–40&nbsp;yards, threw him the pass. Taylor later stated that the situation made him more nervous than any play of his career, "I'm saying to myself (as the pass is being thrown), 'If I drop this pass, I got to run my black ass all the way to [[Upper Saddle River]] because there ain't no way I'm going to be able to stay in that stadium'."<ref name="NFL"/> Taylor caught the pass however, and the capacity crowd in attendance cheered in approval.<ref>{{cite news | last=George | first=Thomas | url=https://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F60611FB3D5D0C768CDDA00894DD494D81 | title=ON PRO FOOTBALL; The Giants' Best Play Of the Dallas Game Was Simms to L. T. | work=The New York Times | date=September 5, 1995 | access-date=April 22, 2007}}</ref>

After his retirement as a player in 1994, Simms first joined ESPN then went on to join [[NFL on NBC|NBC's lead broadcast crew]], teaming with [[Dick Enberg]] and [[Paul Maguire]] on NBC's coverage of [[Super Bowl XXX]] and [[Super Bowl XXXII]]. Simms also announced [[Weightlifting at the 1996 Summer Olympics|weightlifting]] at the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] and served as a sideline reporter on the ''[[NBA on NBC Sports|NBA on NBC]]'' for [[NBC Sports]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sportsline.com/cbssports/team/psimms | title=Phil Simms, Lead Game Analyst | work=CBS Sports | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007031410/http://www.sportsline.com/cbssports/team/psimms | archive-date=October 7, 2008 | access-date= October 11, 2010}}</ref> In 1998, he moved to CBS with the AFC package, teaming first with [[Greg Gumbel]] (through the end of the [[2003 NFL season|2003 season]]) and later with [[Jim Nantz]] on the [[NFL on CBS|CBS's lead broadcast team]]. He also worked with [[Armen Keteyian]], [[Bonnie Bernstein]], [[Lesley Visser]], and [[Tracy Wolfson]]. Since 2009, he has been a host of ''[[Inside the NFL]]'' on Showtime (another CBS holding) with [[James Brown (sportscaster)|James Brown]] and [[Cris Collinsworth]]. In 2017, he was replaced by [[Tony Romo]] as a color commentator and joined the CBS pregame show ''[[The NFL Today]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nfl.com/news/tony-romo-to-replace-phil-simms-in-broadcast-booth-0ap3000000797442 | title=Tony Romo to replace Phil Simms in broadcast booth | first=Kevin | last=Patra | date=April 4, 2017 | work=NFL.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/tony-romo-cut-cowboys-enter-broadcast-booth-article-1.3018451 | title=Tony Romo retires from NFL, to replace Phil Simms as top CBS analyst | first=Jake | last=Becker | date=April 4, 2017 | work=[[New York Daily News|Daily News]] | location=New York}}</ref> He left CBS after his contract expired at the end of the 2023 season. Simms has also worked on Westwood One as an analyst for select games in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 23, 2024 |title=Phil Simms to Work with Ian Eagle Calling Westwood One NFL Broadcasts; Starts Thursday with Cowboys-Giants |url=https://barrettmedia.com/2024/09/23/phil-simms-to-work-with-ian-eagle-calling-westwood-one-nfl-broadcasts-starts-thursday-with-cowboys-giants/ |website=www.barrettmedia.com |access-date=November 1, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref> Simms returned to [[College Football on NBC Sports|NBC Sports]] as a college football analyst in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 19, 2025 |title=PHIL SIMMS RETURNS TO NBC SPORTS TO CALL BIG TEN FOOTBALL GAMES LIVE ON PEACOCK THIS FALL |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/pressbox/press-releases/phil-simms-returns-to-nbc-sports-to-call-big-ten-football-games-live-on-peacock-this-fall |website=NBC Sports |access-date=August 19, 2025 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Simms joined WFAN's ''Boomer and Gio'' as a weekly guest in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |last=Contes |first=Brandon |date=September 3, 2024 |title=Phil Simms to join WFAN's 'Boomer and Gio' weekly during NFL season |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/nfl/phil-simms-to-join-wfans-boomer-gio-weekly-during-nfl-season.html |website=www.awfulannouncing.com |access-date=October 5, 2024}}</ref>

Simms was part of the commentary team along with Nantz in the ''[[Madden NFL]]'' ''[[Madden NFL 13|13]]'', ''[[Madden NFL 25 (2013 video game)|25]]'', ''[[Madden NFL 15|15]]'', and ''[[Madden NFL 16|16]]'' video games.

Outside of football broadcasting, Simms co-hosted the [[Miss Universe 2002]] pageant with actress and model [[Daisy Fuentes]]. He made an appearance as himself on the CBS soap opera ''[[As the World Turns]]'' in 2007, and in February 2010 made an appearance on ''[[The Price Is Right (U.S. game show)|The Price Is Right]]'' (with Nantz) to present a [[Super Bowl XLIV]] showcase. In the same month, he appeared as himself (again with Nantz) on the ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'' episode "[[Rabbit or Duck]]". On November 13, 2014, Simms appeared uncredited on the episode "Just a Regular Irregular" of the CBS television series ''[[Elementary (TV series)|Elementary]]''. Simms' cameo was as a consultant to [[Sherlock Holmes]] in the art of [[knife throwing]]. Furthermore, Simms was forced to settle a debt with Holmes by loaning him a [[Super Bowl ring]] for the purpose of advancing the investigation.<ref>Wood, Benjamin. [http://community.ew.com/2014/11/13/elementary-recap-sherlock-friends-in-low-places/ "'Elementary' recap: Sherlock has friends in low places"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209030817/http://community.ew.com/2014/11/13/elementary-recap-sherlock-friends-in-low-places/ |date=December 9, 2014 }} ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' website (November 13, 2014)</ref>

==Personal life==
Simms and his wife, Diana, live in [[Franklin Lakes, New Jersey]]. They have three children: [[Chris Simms|Chris]], Deirdre, and [[Matt Simms (American football)|Matt]]. His son-in-law is former NFL linebacker [[Brian Toal]], who was schoolmates with Matt.<ref>{{cite news | title=He's Not a Quarterback, but He'll Do | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/fashion/weddings/phil-simms-adds-another-football-player-to-the-family.html?_r=0 | work=[[The New York Times]] | first=Vincent M. | last=Mallozzi | date=August 1, 2014 | access-date=February 21, 2020}}</ref> Simms is fond of New Jersey, remarking in 1987: "I wasn't overjoyed about coming to New York. When I thought of New York, I thought of New York ''City''. But out here, it's just like anywhere else."<ref name="Po29">Pooley. p. 29</ref>

In 2011, Simms was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msueagles.com/news/2011/6/24/FB_0624114651.aspx|title=Former Eagle Star Simms Inducted Into Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame|date=June 24, 2011|publisher=[[Morehead State University]]|access-date=January 18, 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[History of the New York Giants (1979–1993)]]
* [[List of 500-yard passing games in the National Football League]]

==References==
;Notes
{{reflist}}

;Bibliography
{{Refbegin|colwidth=50em}}
*McConkey, Phil, Simms, Phil, and Schaap, Dick. ''Simms to McConkey: Blood, Sweat, and Gatorade'', New York: [[Random House]]. 1987 {{ISBN|0-517-56703-2}}
*Neft, David S., Cohen, Richard M., and Korch, Rick. ''The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Present.'' New York: St. Martin's Press. 1994 {{ISBN|0-312-11435-4}}
*Pervin, Lawrence A. ''Football's New York Giants: A History.'' McFarland 2009 {{ISBN|0-7864-4268-9}}
*Pooley, Eric. ''True Blue'', ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'', January 26, 1987, issue {{ISSN|0028-7369}} ([https://books.google.com/books?id=qeMCAAAAMBAJ available online])
*Schwartz, John. ''Tales from the New York Giants Sideline'', Sports Publishing LLC, 2004 {{ISBN|1-58261-758-9}}
*Simms, Phil and Meier, Rick. ''Phil Simms On Passing'', New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1998 {{ISBN|0-688-16108-1}}
*Whittingham, Richard. ''What Giants They Were.'' Chicago: Triumph Books 2000 {{ISBN|1-57243-368-X}}
*Simms, Andrew Luck. "Luck doesn't make NFL Throws" Los Angeles, Huffington Post LLC November 3, 2011
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Footballstats |nfl=Phil-Simms
|espn=6488 |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=S/SimmPh00 |rotoworld=}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0799996|name=Phil Simms}}

{{Navboxes
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| list1 =
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{{succession box| title=''[[NFL on NBC]]'' lead analyst (with [[Paul Maguire]])| before=[[Bob Trumpy]]| years=[[1995 NFL season|1995]]–[[1997 NFL season|1997]]| after=[[John Madden]] (in [[2006 NFL season|2006]])}}
{{succession box| title=''[[NFL on CBS]]'' lead analyst| before=[[John Madden]] (in [[1993 NFL season|1993]])| years=[[1998 NFL season|1998]]–[[2016 NFL season|2016]]| after=[[Tony Romo]]}}
{{succession box | before=[[Bob Trumpy]] | title=[[List of Super Bowl broadcasters|Super Bowl television]] color commentator ([[American Football Conference|AFC package carrier]]) | years=[[Super Bowl XXX|1995]]-[[Super Bowl 50|2016]] (with [[Paul Maguire]] from [[Super Bowl XXX|1995]]-[[Super Bowl XXXII|1997]]) | after=[[Tony Romo]]}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Simms, Phil}}
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