Jeffery Simmons got asked about trade talk after practice on Wednesday and waved it off. Nothing from his agent, nothing from the Titans, he said. "As far as I know, I'm going to be here."
Thursday morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero were reporting that the Bears had a deal. Ian Rapoport and UPI had the same thing.
Per Pelissero and Schefter, the Titans would receive a first-rounder in 2027, another first in 2028, and a 2027 fourth. Chicago would get Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick coming back from Tennessee. I couldn't find a statement from either club Thursday morning, and the exact pick language hadn't come out yet, so treat all of it as reported, not final.
The contract is where it gets interesting. Simmons signed a three-year, $105.8 million extension in June, with $100 million guaranteed, and he's under contract through 2030. When the deal was announced, Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi called him the best defensive tackle in the league. That was four months ago.
Tennessee is 1-6, and the Nov. 10 trade deadline (3 p.m. Central) is close enough that every team with a need started calling. Simmons had been the name on everybody's list for days. One Tennessee outlet ran a column Wednesday guessing he'd probably stay, while admitting the Titans would take offers more seriously this year than any other. So there you go.
Sunday's loss to Cleveland probably didn't change anyone's mind either. Afterward Simmons talked about the team's trouble stopping the run and getting to the quarterback, two jobs he's supposed to be doing.
Chicago is 5-2 under Ben Johnson. Through seven weeks its defense had allowed the eighth-fewest yards per game in the NFL, and Simmons would line up next to Grady Jarrett on the inside.
His numbers this season: 38 tackles, four sacks, six tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits in seven games. Last year he set a career high with 11 sacks. He was the 19th pick in the 2019 draft out of Mississippi State, has 106 games and 104 starts, and has made four Pro Bowls. Every one of those games was in a Titans uniform.
He turns 30 in February, which is why two first-round picks raises eyebrows. Bears fans will say it's worth it for a team trying to win now. Others will point out the contract has four more seasons on it after this one.
Borgonzi and Bears general manager Ryan Poles go back to their days together in Kansas City. Doesn't hurt when the two guys on the phone already know each other.
For Tennessee, this is a rebuild move. The Titans have Cam Ward, the first overall pick in 2025, at quarterback and a lot of losing behind them. Extra first-rounders help. The defense is another story, because it was already giving up yards on the ground and just lost the one guy offenses had to game-plan around.
Fans in Nashville won't like it. Simmons is from Noxubee County, Mississippi, was drafted by the franchise and got extended by it twice.
The Titans and Bears still have to make it official, and Simmons has to pass a physical. After that it's up to Chicago to figure out how quickly to get him on the field.
