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By Jayesh Pagar
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Jeffery Simmons was supposed to be a Titan for life. Tennessee Titans drafted him in 2019, built their defense around him, and paid him like a superstar this summer.
Then came one late-October morning that changed everything. Now the star defensive tackle is sharing how it really felt, and it hit him harder than most fans knew.
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Speaking on "The Rich Eisen Show," in a clip shared by NFL on ESPN on X, Simmons said he knew the moment he saw missed calls on his phone early that morning.
“I stood up and I said, it’s like something just went through my body,” Simmons said. “I’m like, dang, it’s really about to happen.”
“It was one of those things where I just didn’t think that would happen to me,” he added. “I’m on year eight here… I felt like I was… the glue of trying to hold this locker room and trying to hold everything together here in Tennessee.”
Simmons admitted he was upset with the timing. He was still playing his best and giving the team everything on and off the field. He also pointed to his strong bond with owner Amy Adams Strunk.
Still, he wasn’t bitter. Simmons said he respected the decision and doesn’t feel his years in Tennessee were wasted.
The Titans traded Simmons to the Chicago Bears on Oct. 29 for two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder. That came about four months after he signed a three-year, $105.8 million extension that made him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive tackle.
Chicago is already cashing in. Simmons had a sack in each of his first two games, wins over Seattle and Tampa Bay. His six sacks led all interior defensive linemen through Week 9, and the Bears are 7-2 with a four-game win streak.
Back in Nashville, the 1-7 Titans host Jacksonville on Sunday. For Titans fans, watching their old leader win big in Chicago only makes this one sting more.
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