Jeffery Simmons told reporters Wednesday afternoon that he had didn’t hear anything that led him to expect to be traded during the 2026 season, but things can change quickly in the NFL.
titans traded Simmons to the Bears on Thursday in a deal that sent a pair of first-round picks to Tennessee, and General Manager Mike Borgonzi addressed how that came together in a news conference. Borgonzi said he has made calls about Simmons more than once since joining the team, but none of them led him to think a trade was the right decision until Wednesday night.
“Mom I got a call late last night from someone I’ve known for a while, Ryan Poles, the GM of the Bears,” Borgonzi said. “He’s really the only person who came out and said ‘would you accept this?’ You should get all the information at that point.”
Borgonzi said the information included “where we are as a team” and how to “really maintain success going forward.” Both of those things pointed toward accepting the offer, and that’s what he did after speaking with Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk on Thursday morning. Borgonzi then informed Simmons, who joined “a lot of people” surprised to learn how things would go.
Borgonzi said Simmons didn’t want to leave, but he thinks it’s a great opportunity for the veteran to compete at the highest level 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 Thursday in that effort.
