NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have moved on from the player many fans in Nashville saw as the face of the franchise. The team shipped Jeffery Simmons, its star on the defensive line, to Chicago on Thursday, taking back a haul of draft picks with the season slipping away.
Chicago is sending Tennessee first-round picks in 2027 and 2028 plus a 2027 fourth-rounder. The Titans also include a 2028 fifth-round pick in the deal. The move comes ahead of the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline, with Tennessee sitting at 1-6.
Simmons, 29, is a four-time Pro Bowl pick and was named first-team All-Pro last season. Since entering the league in 2019 out of Mississippi State, he has piled up 46.5 sacks, 414 tackles and nine forced fumbles in a Titans uniform.
He was still playing at a high level this fall. Simmons leads interior defensive linemen with 20 run stops, ranks third at the position with 24 pressures and is fifth with four sacks. Chicago has struggled against the run, which made him a natural fit.
The timing stings for fans who watched the Titans commit to Simmons only months ago. On June 19 he agreed to a $105.8 million deal covering three years.
Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk thanked Simmons in a statement, saying few people compare to him and crediting the charity he runs, the Give ‘Em A Reason Foundation, with making a difference for families in Middle Tennessee and in Mississippi.
Simmons had brushed off trade talk before Thursday, telling reporters he was focused on the present and had not heard anything from his agent or the team. Now Tennessee turns to rebuilding with extra first-round picks in each of the next two drafts.
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