Bears Acquire All-Pro DT Jeffery Simmons From Titans for Two First-Round Picks
Chicago sends its 2027 and 2028 first-rounders plus a 2027 fourth to Tennessee for the league's most disruptive interior pass rusher
The Chicago Bears swung the biggest trade of the deadline season Thursday, acquiring All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans.
Chicago sends its 2027 and 2028 first-round picks plus a 2027 fourth-rounder to Tennessee, and gets Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick back. The Titans later announced they had agreed to terms with the Bears, pending a physical. Simmons is the first defensive tackle in the common draft era (since 1967) to be traded for multiple first-round picks, per ESPN.
The Bears (5-2) needed exactly this. Chicago ranks 23rd in pass rush win rate from interior defenders this season, while Simmons leads all defensive tackles at 27%. His four sacks, six tackles for loss and four passes defended all lead Tennessee through seven games, and he was a first-team All-Pro last season with a career-high 11 sacks. He has 46.5 sacks over eight seasons, all with the Titans.
It's the Bears' 2027 and 2028 first-round picks plus a 2027 fourth-rounder going to the Titans, who send Jeff Simmons and a 2028 fifth-rounder to Chicago.View on X →
Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero): It's the Bears' 2027 and 2028 first-round picks plus a 2027 fourth-rounder going to the Titans, who send Jeff Simmons and a 2028 fifth-rounder to Chicago.
It's also a reunion. Simmons and Montez Sweat, who just returned from suspension, were teammates at Mississippi State and were both first-round picks in 2019. General manager Ryan Poles had never traded multiple first-rounders before this.
The price goes beyond picks. Simmons, 29, signed a three-year, $105.8 million extension with $100 million guaranteed before the season, keeping him under contract through 2030. The day before the deal, he told reporters he'd heard nothing from his agent or the team and expected to stay.
For the 1-6 Titans, it's another reset. They lose a six-time captain who played 86.6% of their defensive snaps, and veterans Solomon Thomas and John Franklin-Myers will lead the rotation in his place. Tennessee visits the Bengals on Sunday. Simmons could debut Monday night when the Bears face the Seahawks and newly acquired guard Quenton Nelson.