The Tennessee Titans have reportedly traded All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears, ending the 29-year-old's entire career in Nashville in exchange for a hefty haul of future draft capital. The move comes as the Titans sit at 1-6 this season, while Chicago enters the week at 5-2.
What Each Side Is Reportedly Getting
According to WSMV, Tennessee is trading the defensive tackle in a deal that, per ESPN, is expected to send the Titans at least two first-round draft picks as part of a package built to help the franchise rebuild. As reported by Yahoo Sports, the Bears are sending Tennessee 2027 and 2028 first-round picks along with a 2027 fourth-round pick, while Chicago receives Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick. NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported the trade, with ESPN's Adam Schefter cited for the specific package details, the outlet notes.
The deal was also detailed in a post from X account @NFL, which laid out the full trade breakdown attributed to Schefter: Chicago receiving Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick, and Tennessee landing the 2027 and 2028 first-rounders plus the 2027 fourth-rounder.
A Career Year Cut Short In Nashville
Simmons had spent his entire NFL career with the Titans up until now, the station's report notes. He was coming off a breakout 2025 campaign, posting career highs of 11.0 sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 21 quarterback hits, according to NBC Sports. That performance earned him his first career AP first-team All-Pro nod to go along with four Pro Bowl selections. Before the reported trade, the Titans and Simmons had agreed to a three-year, $105.8 million contract extension ahead of this season, per the same outlet.
Simmons was still playing at a high level when the deal came together. He had registered 4.0 sacks, six tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits in seven games this season, per NBC Sports. NBC Chicago similarly noted that Simmons had four sacks through seven games this year following his 11-sack 2025 season.
Why Tennessee Pulled The Trigger
With the Titans sitting at 1-6 entering this weekend's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, as reported by CBS Sports, the move signals a clear pivot toward the future for Tennessee. NBC Chicago reports that general manager Mike Borgonzi cut ties with the 2019 first-round pick in exchange for what the outlet describes as a massive haul of future draft capital, with Chicago currently 5-2 in its second season under head coach Ben Johnson.
The Simmons deal lands amid a broader wave of trade-deadline activity across the league this year. ESPN has also reported that the Indianapolis Colts traded eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks, one of several notable deals the network included in its deadline grading coverage.
No official transaction announcement from the Titans, Bears or the NFL had been issued at the time of these reports, with the trade so far attributed entirely to league insiders and outlet sourcing. Reactions from Simmons himself, as well as from Titans or Bears coaches and players, had not been reported.
