The Bears are in the middle of a blockbuster for Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, according to Tom Pelissero.
Chicago is sending Tennessee two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder in the deal, Pelissero reported. Adam Schefter added that the fourth-round pick is in 2027, while the Bears will also receive a 2028 fifth-round pick from the Titans.
It’s a massive swing for Chicago, and it comes with Simmons putting together a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season in Tennessee. Now he’ll get the chance to chase that award in a different uniform, on a more successful team.
For the Titans, the return is a pile of draft capital as they keep building through what has looked like an endless rebuild.
Tennessee had just signed Simmons to an updated deal this offseason. After the trade, the Titans will be carrying $21 million in dead cap on their books in 2027, while Chicago takes on the rest of his $13 million base salary this year, per Over The Cap.
Simmons is 29 and came into the league as a first-round pick by Tennessee out of Mississippi State in the 2019 NFL Draft. He completed the fourth season of his four-year, $12,663,750 rookie deal, which included a $7,230,00 signing bonus.
The Titans then exercised his fifth-year option, giving him $10.753 million fully guaranteed for 2023. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024 when Tennessee locked him up on a four-year, $94 million extension.
Simmons was entering the third year of that contract and was set for a salary of $20.173 million in 2026 when he signed a three-year, $105.8 million extension.
In 2026, Simmons has played in seven games for Tennessee and posted 38 total tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, one recovery and four pass deflections.
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