Broncos defensive back P.J. Locke is one helluva teammate ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned he gifted Justin Simmons some custom cleats to help the star honor his late dad.
If you weren't aware, Simmons tragically lost his father in April ... and he said he was absolutely heartbroken over the passing, writing on his social media page that the two were super close.
We're told Locke, one of Simmons' best buds on the Broncos, immediately looked for a way to cheer up the 29-year-old after hearing the devastating news ... and hit up local Denver artist Breanna Berry about possibly making some tribute spikes for Simmons.
Turns out, Berry was all-in on the idea, and got to work right away.
The cleat artist spent five hours painstakingly designing the shoes ... putting a portrait of Simmons' dad, Victor, on one of them ... while wrapping them both in Broncos blue and orange colors.
She also made sure to paint on the cleats the phrases "I love you" ... and, "Any man can be a father but it takes some special to be a dad" -- a line that Simmons wrote in his emotional Instagram post to his father in April.
The finished product came out great ... and we're told Simmons was able to get his hands on them earlier this week.
Simmons -- a former third-round pick out of Boston College -- tied for the most interceptions in the league last season with six ... and with the new cleats possibly on his feet this year, it's probably safe to expect an even better performance in 2023.