The New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh blew right past NFL etiquette to try to get Jeffery Simmons before the Titans rejected them to accept an offer from the Chicago Bears.
Per The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones, after Giants GM Joe Schoen got shut down by Titans GM Mike Borgonzi, Harbaugh placed a direct call to Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline.
“Multiple sources tell The Athletic the Giants’ head coach called Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk directly in an attempt to trade for the All-Pro defensive tackle, breaking with traditional NFL trade-talk norms,” Jonathan writes.
John Harbaugh Directly Reached Out to Owner For Jeffery Simmons Trade
The first-place Giants were eager to bolster their defense for a playoff push, but Harbaugh’s decision to bypass general managers broke an unwritten cardinal rule among front offices.
“The Giants have been looking to make a deal ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline, knowing they will go into Week 9 atop the NFC East. General manager Joe Schoen had previously reached out to Titans GM Mike Borgonzi, who told Schoen and other inquiring teams that they wouldn’t trade Simmons. Harbaugh then opted to call Strunk, the Titans’ controlling owner, in an attempt to get Simmons. Harbaugh got the same message from Strunk, who has empowered Borgonzi to make football decisions for the franchise.”
It was a desperate move from Harbaugh in a desperate time, yet Strunk firmly backed Borgonzi, entirely shutting down the pitch.
Outside of New York, other rival GMs also took note of the incident, and it left them fuming.
“Harbaugh’s decision to call Stunk was not received well by at least one other general manager. One GM who became aware of the call said it violates a code amongst primary football decision-makers that they will only deal with each other.”
NFL trading relies heavily on executive relationships and trust. By pulling a rogue move, New York risks getting iced out of future trade-deadline discussions by GMs who won’t tolerate having their chain of command bypassed.
Giants Still Scrambling for Secondary Help
Even if Strunk had entertained the call, New York never had the assets to pull it off anyway. Chicago ultimately blew everyone out of the water with a massive haul featuring two future first-round picks. Meanwhile, the Giants, already short on mid-round draft capital, offered a package that wasn’t even in the same tier.
The Giants are already down their 4th- and 5th-round picks in the upcoming draft. Offering a standard Day 2 pick or a light package wasn’t going to get Borgonzi to move an All-Pro interior anchor under contract.
That’s exactly where the Bears overtook the Giants and took home Simmons.
The Giants will still continue scrambling for an interior disruptor. Without one, they risk losing their top-of-NFC-East rank by the time the playoffs come into the picture.
That one move from Harbaugh will now mean a lot of extra work for Schoen to settle for mid-tier rental options on the market before the Nov. 10 deadline, leaving the interior defensive line vulnerable to more losses.
Giants Were in on Jeffery Simmons Before Titans Said Yes to Blockbuster Bears Trade