Photo by Tennessee Titans, resizedJeffery Simmons to the Bears for two first-round picks, step by step
Image by Tennessee Titans, resizedThe deal
The Titans and Bears agreed on terms Thursday morning, pending a physical. Tennessee is 1-6. Chicago is 5-2 and plays the defending champion Seahawks on Monday night.
Simmons is the first defensive tackle of the common draft era, which began in 1967, to be traded for more than one first-round pick.
- Bears' 2027 first-round pick, 2027 fourth-round pick and 2028 first-round pick
- Jeffery Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick
“There are few people like Jeff Simmons. We are forever grateful for all he has given this team and this city.”— Amy Adams Strunk, Titans controlling owner
Photo by Tennessee Titans, resizedA first-round bet on a torn ACL
Simmons was seen as a possible top-10 pick out of Mississippi State until he tore the ACL in his left knee during a workout in February 2019. The Titans took him 19th anyway.
He played nine games as a rookie, with seven starts and two sacks. He broke out in 2021 with 8.5 sacks for a 12-5 team that finished as the AFC’s top seed.
Simmons' sacks by season
Photo by Tennessee Titans, resizedThe best player on a losing team
From 2022 on, the Titans won fewer games almost every year while Simmons kept playing well. Tennessee won 3 games in 2024 and 3 more in 2025.
In 2025 Simmons had a career-high 11 sacks, the most in a season by a Titans defensive tackle, and was named first-team All-Pro for the first time. He has made four Pro Bowls.
Titans wins in Simmons' seasons
Photo by Tennessee Titans, resized$100 million, then a 1-6 start
Robert Saleh took over as head coach for 2026. On June 19 the Titans gave Simmons a three-year, $105.8 million extension with $100 million guaranteed that made him, at the time, the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history. It runs through 2030.
Then Tennessee lost its first five games, scoring 58 points. The only win came at Indianapolis on Oct. 18, when Simmons stripped Jonathan Taylor to start the comeback from 13-0 down, and moved into the top 10 on the franchise sack list.
“Each and every day I wake up, my goal is to be where my feet are at. … As far as I know, I am going to be here.”— Jeffery Simmons, on Wednesday
Photo by Chicago Bears, cropped and resizedWhat the Bears are buying
Chicago’s offense leads the league in rushing. The defense ranks ninth in points allowed and has been the best on third down, allowing a 26.1% conversion rate. Its pass rush has been the weak spot: when rushing four or fewer over the last two seasons, it has produced pressure 25% of the time, fourth-lowest in the league.
Since 2019, only DeForest Buckner has more sacks among defensive tackles than Simmons. Buckner was traded to the 49ers on Tuesday.
- W 59-37 at Carolina
- L 9-3 vs. Minnesota
- W 27-7 vs. Philadelphia
- W 23-12 vs. N.Y. Jets
- L 31-7 at Green Bay
- W 31-23 at Atlanta
- W 30-24 vs. New England
- at Seattle, 8:15 p.m. ET
Simmons rejoins Montez Sweat, his teammate at Mississippi State, on Chicago’s line. It is the first time general manager Ryan Poles has traded more than one first-round pick in a deal.
The money and the picks
Tennessee gets two first-round picks to add to its own as it rebuilds around Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in 2025. Its own 2027 first-rounder could be near the top of the draft. If the Bears win as much as they expect to, the picks they sent will land late in the round.
“He's turning over every stone that he possibly can to improve this football team.”— Bears coach Ben Johnson, on Poles, the day before the trade
The Titans play at Cincinnati on Sunday without the player who led their defense for eight seasons. The Bears go to Seattle on Monday night with the defensive tackle they had been missing. The trade deadline is Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET.
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