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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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The Chicago Bears made the biggest splash of the trade season so far when they acquired All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans on Thursday.
But they weren’t the only team that came calling.
Chicago sent first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, plus a 2027 fourth-rounder, to Tennessee for Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick, making Simmons the first defensive tackle in the common draft era (since 1967) to be traded for multiple first-round picks.
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It’s a steep price, but it was one the Bears were willing to pay given their circumstances. Concerns about the pass-rush have only grown after Montez Sweat served a two-game suspension and Dayo Odeyingbo landed on injured reserve.
According to The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero, at least three other teams inquired about Simmons, including one AFC South foe, before the Bears ultimately pried Simmons away from Tennessee.
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“Before sending Simmons to Chicago, the Titans received calls from at least three other teams — including the division rival Jaguars,” Pelissero wrote. “While trading a core player within the AFC South was probably a nonstarter, it’s a reminder that GM James Gladstone is willing to be aggressive in any area that potentially can improve the team, and probably portends more activity in Jacksonville over the next 10 days.”
Pelissero didn’t name the other two teams.
It’s not the first time Jacksonville has kicked the tires on a star defensive tackle either. The Jaguars were reportedly in the market for Quinnen Williams at last year’s deadline before he was dealt to the Dallas Cowboys.
As for Simmons, the 29-year-old is just one season removed from a career-high 11 sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 60 quarterback pressures, which earned him his first All-Pro nod. The Titans gave him a three-year, $105.8 million extension in June, leaving the Bears on the hook for just $7.9 million the rest of this season.
Tennessee didn’t have to move Simmons either. The feeling among some around the league is that the Titans weren’t actively shopping Simmons, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted, but Chicago simply made the 1-6 Titans an offer they couldn’t refuse.
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