EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsIn recent seasons, "close to the entire league" has inquired about trading for star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, a Tennessee Titans source told ESPN.The Titans brushed off all inquiries -- until the one they received last week from the Chicago Bears.The Bears first inquired about Simmons during Chicago and Tennessee's joint practice last summer, according to sources, but the Titans said they had no interest in dealing the four-time Pro Bowler.Bears general manager Ryan Poles then called Titans GM Mike Borgonzi, whom he worked with in Kansas City, and inquired again Tuesday night. The two teams came up with a proposal that was based off the Myles Garrett trade, in which the Cleveland Browns received a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round pick, a 2029 third-round pick and star pass rusher Jared Verse.The Titans viewed Verse as the equivalent of a first-round pick for comparative purposes, and that Garrett deal formed the framework for the trade that sent Simmons to Chicago with a 2028 fifth-round pick in exchange for two first-round picks and a 2027 fourth-round pick.But the Rams-Browns Garrett trade provided the nucleus for the Bears-Titans Simmons trade, according to sources.As the Titans mulled the offer, they felt like they needed to accelerate the growth of their roster, and the best way to do it was with more draft capital. They studied other recent blockbuster deals made by teams trading away the marquee player.Detroit traded Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles in a deal that eventually netted the Lions Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams.Seattle traded Russell Wilson to Denver in a deal that produced Charles Cross, Boye Mafe, Devon Witherspoon and Derick Hall.The Browns traded the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft to Jacksonville in a deal that yielded Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson and KC Concepcion.And the Titans decided that, to give their team the best chance to win, they had to make a deal that would produce three future premium picks.For their part, the Bears went back and studied every Super Bowl champion since 2018 and noticed that each one had an elite defensive tackle. The Eagles had Fletcher Cox, the Rams Aaron Donald, the Chiefs Chris Jones, the Buccaneers Vita Vea, the Eagles Jalen Carter, and the Seahawks Leonard Williams.The Bears believed Simmons could make that type of difference.They reviewed other blockbuster trades that other teams made -- and decided they would be willing to part with three picks.Poles knows there will be more pressure on him and his front office to hit on their remaining picks. But the Bears pushed in all their chips; the Titans took their big one off the table, and the NFL had its latest blockbuster that will be analyzed for seasons to come.
