Bears Trade Two First-Round Picks to the Titans for All-Pro Tackle Jeffery Simmons
Chicago paid a 2027 and 2028 first plus a fourth for the 29-year-old defensive tackle, the first such price for his position since 1967, with the 5-2 Bears pushing for a title.
Friday, October 30, 2026/2 min read
The Chicago Bears have gone all in. On Thursday they acquired All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans, paying two first-round picks for a player the Titans had signed to a long extension only months ago. ESPN reported that the Bears send 2027 and 2028 first-round picks and a 2027 fourth-rounder to Tennessee for Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
It is the kind of deal a team makes when it thinks the window is open. The Bears are 5-2, the Titans 1-6, and the trade deadline is not until 10 November.
What did the Bears give up for Jeffery Simmons?
Chicago's cost is steep. ESPN Research, as cited in the report, said Simmons is the first defensive tackle traded for multiple first-round picks since 1967. CBS Sports also lists the same package, attributing it to multiple reports, and describes the move as a chance for Simmons to play for a contender.
Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi said Bears general manager Ryan Poles called on Wednesday night, and that the offer was the first that made Tennessee consider moving Simmons at all.
Who is Jeffery Simmons?
Simmons is 29 and has spent his whole career in Tennessee, who drafted him 19th overall in 2019. He has 46.5 sacks over eight seasons, according to ESPN, and last year set career highs with 11 sacks and 17 tackles for loss on his way to a first All-Pro selection, CBS reported. This season he had four sacks, six tackles for loss and four passes defended through seven games, leading the Titans in each.
Before the season he signed a three-year, $105.8 million extension that runs through 2030, ESPN reported, including $100 million guaranteed. That means Chicago is not renting him: he comes with a contract that carries the Bears into the end of the decade.
What does it mean for the Bears and the NFC?
Simmons gives the Bears a proven interior pass rusher. CBS's trade-grade pieces framed it as a way for Chicago to keep pace with San Francisco in the NFC race. It also raises the stakes for the Bears' young quarterback, Caleb Williams, since two first-round picks are gone from the next two drafts, and CBS argued that Williams is what makes the blockbuster worth it. We last saw the Bears holding off the Patriots on Thursday night, and the new defensive tackle arrives in a division where Green Bay has just reached 5-3.
For Tennessee, it is a pivot. The Titans, 1-6 and entering a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, now have extra first-round capital to rebuild around. Tennessee also spent more money than any NFL team this offseason, CBS noted, which makes a 1-6 record all the harder to explain. How they use it will matter more than the player they gave up, and the clock on both teams is the same: 10 November.
Published in The Outspoken Digest
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