The exchange was reported earlier this morning.
The Tennessee Titans announced it in a release and at a press conference shortly after.
And now the Chicago Bears have made it official.
The Bears traded a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Titans for Simmons and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
The Bears released a statement on their website from general manager Ryan Poles.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jeffery Simmons and his family to Chicago. We express our gratitude to the Tennessee Titans and Mike Borgonzi for their partnership and collaboration throughout this process. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to add a player and a human, like Jeffery, to our team, and we look forward to Jeffery’s leadership and command as we continue to work toward continued success.”
Head coach Ben Johnson also made a statement.
“Jeffery is one of the most respected players in the National Football League. Jeffery has proven to be one of the most disruptive run defenders and passers in the NFL, and yet, through his leadership, Jeffery will have the opportunity to create a positive impact throughout our team. We look forward to the work ahead.”
Simmons is in Chicago and there will likely be a press conference on Friday. The Bears also have two more practices scheduled (Friday and Saturday), as well as a walk-through on Sunday before flying to Washington for their Monday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Chicago general manager Ryan Poles has known Tennessee general manager Mike Borgonzi since at least 2008, when Poles was a graduate assistant at Boston College and Borgonzi was an assistant recruiting coordinator. They also worked together in the Kansas City Chiefs organization from 2009-2021.
“Jeff (Simmons) has been an elite player in this organization, on and off the field,” Borgonzi said via the Titans website. “My respect and admiration for him is probably more than for any player I’ve been around. … Those are tough decisions, and at no time since I’ve been here have we tried to trade Jeffery Simmons — we’ve gotten a lot of phone calls, but it’s never really crossed my mind.
“I got a phone call late last night from someone I’ve known for a while, Ryan Poles, general manager of the Bears, and he’s really the only person to come out and say, would you do this?
Borgonzi accepted the Poles’ offer to majority owner Amy Adams Strunk and head coach Robert Saleh, and they decided to accept.
“We thought it was the best decision for the future, but it’s also a very difficult decision,” Borgonzi said. Amy loves Jeff as a player and as a person. All the teammates in the locker room do it. It hasn’t been easy, but we thought it was the best decision to really sustain success going forward here and really build through the draft, and it gave us the opportunity here to really accelerate the process.
The trade made sense for the 1-6 Titans, who need to rebuild, but it also made sense for the 5-2 Bears, who need an impact defender as they prepare for the playoffs and Super Bowl.
The most effective defensive tackle in the game today will now wear Navy and Orange.
Gn sports
