Bears trade two first-round picks for All-Pro tackle Jeffery Simmons

The Chicago Bears sent two first-round draft picks to the Tennessee Titans on Thursday in exchange for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. The deal, finalized before Monday night's game at Seattle, includes the Bears' selections in 2027 and 2028, along with a fourth-round pick in next year's draft. In return, Chicago receives Simmons and a fifth-round selection in the 2028 draft.

Simmons, 29, enters the deal with four sacks in seven games this season. Next Gen Stats lists him as leading all defensive tackles with 28 pressures. He is the only player in the league to record three sacks against double teams this year. The Bears, currently 5-2, are chasing the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North. Adding a proven interior pass rusher addresses a position group that had been questioned earlier in the campaign.

Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi described the decision as difficult. "Jeff has been an elite player here in this organization, both on and off the field," Borgonzi said. "My respect and admiration for him is probably more than any player I’ve really been around. Just to see the work that he puts in every day, his leadership here the past year and a half that I’ve been here. These are tough decisions."

The trade aligns with the Bears' recent trajectory. Chicago won the NFC North last season for the first time since 2018 under head coach Ben Johnson. The team finished 11-6 and advanced to the divisional round before an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams. General manager Ryan Poles and Johnson view the acquisition as a step toward ending a title drought that dates back to the 1985 season.

Johnson acknowledged the activity surrounding the Nov. 10 trade deadline. "That’s certainly Ryan’s domain, and yet we have constant dialogue of what this team needs and where we can impact ourselves not just this year but years in the future as well," Johnson said. "He’s turning over every stone that he possibly can to improve this football team just like he has ever since I’ve gotten in this building and I feel really good about our process."

Simmons was drafted by Tennessee in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State. He earned first-team All-Pro honors last year after recording a career-high 11 sacks in 15 games. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds, he is a four-time Pro Bowler who signed a contract extension in June with a reported $100 million in guaranteed money.

Tennessee is 1-6 with a game against Cincinnati on Sunday. The team has not had a winning record since going 12-5 in 2021. Titans coach Robert Saleh noted that teams often look to sell when a squad struggles to close out games. "No one’s shopping any of our guys, but like I told our guys, when you don’t close out games and you’re standing here at 1-6, teams are going to start fishing," Saleh said. "And eventually a team threw a hook big enough that I don’t think any of us could have said no to."

Simmons said on Wednesday that his focus remains on the present. "Each and every day I wake up, my goal is to just be where my feet are at," he said. "Never looking ahead right now, it’s just be in the moment, and that’s from each and every day, from game day, my goal just never changes. I don’t worry about the things I can’t control. Them types of things are a distraction."