The Chicago Bears are in position to buy, and potentially buy big, ahead of the NFL’s mid-November deadline — and there are few trade prospects bigger than Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons.
Simmons, 29, is playing under contract through 2030 after recently inking a three-year contract extension for just a shade under $106 million. He is a four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro, including a first-team All-Pro selection last season, across his seven years in the league prior to the current campaign.
He is arguably the best DT in the league and is young enough that if the Bears made a play for Simmons, he could anchor their defense at an elite level for the remainder of the decade. Chicago has shown interest in other high-level defensive tackles, such as Vita Vea of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and looks like a good bet for the playoffs for a second year in a row after a 5-2 start to the campaign.
The question is whether the Bears could pry Simmons from the Titans and what the cost would ultimately be beyond the balance sheet.
Jeffrey Simmons Doesn’t Fit Titans Timeline, Makes More Sense for Contender
Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron on Friday, October 23 included Simmons in a list of five potential trade targets for Chicago.
“There’s no denying that Simmons, one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL, doesn’t fit the Titans’ current rebuilding status,” Infante wrote. “They have a 1-5 record to start the season, and they finished with 3-14 records in both 2024 and 2025. It doesn’t seem likely they’ll do much better than that in 2026.”
The bidding for Simmons, if the Titans even consider any offers, will begin at a first-round pick and then some.
“Simmons is definitely [the Titans’] best player, as he leads the NFL with a 99.8 PFN DT Impact grade, his 16.4 disruption EPA, and tying for first place among defensive tackles with 4.0 sacks,” Infante continued. “The Bears would have to give up a lot to acquire Simmons, who’s an elite defender in his physical prime. But it could be worth it to have a true superstar up front, and the Titans certainly need more draft capital to build an actual contender for once.”
Jeffrey Simmons Likely to Cost 1st-Round Pick, Plus More, in Trade
Bill Barnwell of ESPN projected Simmons’ trade value at a first-round pick, and more, ahead of the season.
“If the Titans hadn’t signed Simmons to a much-deserved extension this offseason, they would have been pointing at the Quinnen Williams trade as the baseline for a Simmons move,” Barnwell wrote. “I’d argue that the four-time Pro Bowler’s even more impactful than his counterpart in Dallas, with Simmons simply willing the Titans’ defense to stops at times last season by overwhelming overmatched linemen. He’s still wildly underrated.”
Simmons has lived up to Barnwell’s projection by tallying 34 combined tackles, including six tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, four sacks, three pass breakups and a forced fumble through six games played this season.
Bears Blockbuster Trade Pitch Nets $100 Million All-Pro D-Lineman