It’s only been two games, but the Chicago Bears appear to have made a championship-level decision by trading the steep price of two first-round picks, plus a fourth/fifth-round swap, for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
The Bears (7-2) are now in the midst of their bye week, and Simmons spoke in depth for the first time on the experience of being traded and landing with a Super Bowl contender in Chicago.
And even though Simmons is in a way better position now to win big, and for fans to see him in primetime showcases and appreciate his talent more, and potentially for his fame and money-making capacities to expand even further — the Bears’ new superstar did not take to the idea immediately.
Jeffery Simmons speaks on his experience being traded from the Titans to the Bears.
(via @RichEisenShow)
The exact opposite was true, in fact.
“It was one of those things where I just didn’t think that would happen to me,” Simmons admitted.
Jeffery Simmons ‘Pissed Off’ Titans Dealt Him to Bears
Simmons added that he is in his eighth season in the NFL, had a good relationship with Tennessee Titans ownership and referred to himself as the “glue of trying to hold this locker room, and trying to hold everything together.”
“I was like really pissed off that it really happened right then and there,” Simmons continued. “Because for me it was like, I was still giving this organization — I was still going out there playing my tail off and giving … Tennessee and that organization everything I had when I stepped on that field, in the locker room, [on the] practice field and in this community.
“I don’t feel like it went to waste, of course,” he added. “Like I said, I just didn’t feel and think that this would actually happen to me. But it did, so.”
Jeffery Simmons Has Changed Culture, Math, Ceiling of Bears’ Defense
Bears fans could not be happier that Tennessee let Simmons leave, as he has fundamentally changed how the defense plays and operates, as well as its ceiling.
That, in turn, has rendered Chicago a legitimate contender and the leaders of the wildly talented and competitive NFC North Division heading into the bye week.
Simmons has already tallied 10 tackles, including three tackles for loss, two sacks and two pass breakups for the Bears in just two games. He is again playing at an All-Pro level and is proving a force multiplier for his teammates along the defensive line.
That enhanced defensive line play has made life easier on a banged up secondary that has struggled to contain explosive playmakers on the outside.
Chicago bested the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on the road at Lumen Field in Simmons’ first game with the team, then held off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field the following week in a potential letdown contest after a season-defining and dominant win in the Pacific Northwest.
The Bears were able to beat the Bucs by a field goal despite five turnovers from the offense in what is likely to prove an anomalous performance for quarterback Caleb Williams and company in 2026.
The bigger storyline is that Chicago got the win despite those struggles protecting the football, for which the defense is responsible — and Simmons is the greatest factor in the defense’s overall improvement.
Bears’ Jeffery Simmons Shares Raw Feelings in Blunt 2-Word Trade Message