Mike Borgonzi Reveals if Cam Ward Inspired Jeffery Simmons Trade

The Tennessee Titans just traded their franchise player to the Chicago Bears on Thursday. 

They were able to get a good return for Jeffery Simmons. The Bears gave them two first-rounders and one fourth-rounder for Simmons. 

It's the kind of haul you'd expect for a player like Simmons. He has been one of the best defensive tackles in football for the last few years and is now starting to get recognition. 

After four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro nods with the Titans, Simmons is heading to a much better situation. The Bears are 5-2 and in second place in the NFC North. 

With a trade like this taking place, there was speculation that it was because of how the Titans felt about Cam Ward. The thought was that this signaled that the Titans were no longer committed to Ward being their quarterback of the future, and they were trying to gain draft capital to go in a different direction. 

General Manager Mike Borgonzi was asked about this at his press conference on Thursday. He clarified that the trade had nothing to do with Ward. He instead rebutted that the trade had to do with the state of the franchise. 

He stated that the Titans are trying to improve as a team and understood that the Titans need draft capital to do so.  

"Uh, no," Borgonzi said. "I think the message is we know we have to get better as a team, right? You know, 53 guys in a roster. We know that we have to be better this year, next year, the year after. And this draft capital will give us the opportunity. We have a lot of work to do, and we have to make the right decisions." 

Whether Borgonzi wants to admit it or not, Ward has had his fair share of struggles this year. After Sunday's loss to the Cleveland Browns, Ward has 1,179 passing yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. 

In his last game, he had 181 passing yards and one interception. All of the team's touchdowns were scored by Tony Pollard in the 27-24 loss. 

It's been a very inconsistent year for the quarterback. You can go back and watch the Browns game to see that. 

There were good and bad moments. 

Late in the fourth quarter, Ward missed a wide-open Daniel Bellinger over the middle with the Titans down 24-17. Bellinger was so open he could've quite literally walked into the end zone. 

Then, he made up for it with a beautiful pass to Carnell Tate to put the Titans at the one-yard line. That pass set up Pollard's third and final touchdown of the game. It's hard to believe that Ward can make those two throws within a short period. 

One minute Ward makes an incredible throw, and the next he gets intercepted. That's been the Ward experience this season. 

However, Borgonzi was firm in his belief that the trade was to help the Titans' future. They needed draft picks to get themselves out of this hole. The Titans were able to get a huge haul for Simmons. 

We'll see if it's enough to set the team up for future success.