Jeffery Simmons told reporters on Wednesday afternoon that he had not heard anything that led him to expect to be traded during the 2026 season, but things can change quickly in the NFL.
The Titans traded Simmons to the Bears on Thursday in a deal that sent a pair of first-round picks back to Tennessee and General Manager Mike Borgonzi addressed how that came together in a press conference. Borgonzi said he has fielded calls about Simmons more than once since joining the team, but that none of them led him to think that a trade was the right decision until Wednesday night.
“I got a phone call late last night from a person I’ve known for a while, Ryan Poles, the GM from the Bears,” Borgonzi said. “He’s really the only person who came out and said ‘would you accept this?’ You have to take in all the information at that point.”
Borgonzi said that information included “where we are as a team” and how to “really sustain success in the future.” Both of those things pointed toward accepting the offer and that’s what he did after speaking to Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk on Thursday morning. Borgonzi then informed Simmons, who joined “a lot of people” in surprise when they learned how things were going to play out.
Borgonzi said Simmons didn’t want to leave, but that he thinks it is a great opportunity for the veteran to compete at the highest level right now. The Titans have work to do to get to that point and Borgonzi’s tenure will be judged by how well he uses the assets acquired on Thursday in that effort.