The Chicago Bears went all in on their playoff potential this season, spending as much as their 2027 and 2028 first-round picks to the Tennessee Titans for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Chicago unlocked the historic deal by using the earlier Myles Garrett blockbuster as their negotiation blueprint.
With elite defensive cornerstones rarely hitting the block, both front offices used Garrett’s baseline valuation to break a month-long deadlock, marking the first time since 1967 that a defensive tackle fetched multiple first-round picks.
Titans-Bears Jeffery Simmons Trade Inspired by Myles Garrett Trade
“The two teams came up with a proposal that was based on the Myles Garrett trade, in which the Cleveland Browns received a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round pick, a 2029 third-round pick and star pass rusher Jared Verse,” Schefter wrote.
“The Titans viewed Verse as the equivalent of a first-round pick for comparative purposes, and that Garrett deal formed the framework for the trade that sent Simmons to Chicago with a 2028 fifth-round pick in exchange for two first-round picks and a 2027 fourth-round pick.”
In other words, the Rams-Browns Garrett trade provided the nucleus for the Bears-Titans Simmons trade, per Schefter.
The Tennessee Titans GM Mike Borgonzi reportedly turned down multiple other teams, like the Giants and the Jaguars. Borgonzi had been receiving trade calls for Simmons for the past two years too, but never really paid heed to it. This year appeared to be the same, until the Bears knocked on their door with a multiple first-round picks offer.
A pitch he simply couldn’t say no to.
“As the Titans mulled the offer, they felt like they needed to accelerate the growth of their roster, and the best way to do it was with more draft capital. They studied other recent blockbuster deals made by teams trading away the marquee player. Detroit traded Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles in a deal for Jared Goff and draft picks that eventually netted the Lions Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams,” Schefter wrote.
“And the Titans decided that, to give their team the best chance to win, they had to make a deal that would produce three future premium picks.”
Bears Overpaid? Only Time Will Tell
As for the Bears, they did their due homework before — what many call it — overpaying for Simmons.
“For their part, the Bears went back and studied every Super Bowl champion since 2018 and noticed that each one had an elite defensive tackle. The Eagles had Fletcher Cox, the Rams Aaron Donald, the Chiefs Chris Jones, the Buccaneers Vita Vea, the Eagles Jalen Carter and the Seahawks Leonard Williams.”
“The Bears believed Simmons could make that type of difference.”
The Titans are in full rebuilding mode, and explosive young rookies fit their timeline far better than established veterans hunting for a ring, like a 29-year-old Simmons before he hits his 30s.
Tennessee had no business holding onto Simmons when he could easily help push the Bears into the playoffs this season. As they continue searching for an identity under Robert Saleh, it’s the rookies, not safe-playing veterans, who will ultimately define what their future looks like.
Insider Reveals Uncanny Similarity Between Myles Garrett and Jeffery Simmons Trade