Titans GM Mike Borgonzi Didn't Want to Trade Jeffery Simmons at First

The Tennessee Titans traded away one of the last remaining players from the old guard on Thursday. 

Jeffery Simmons was dealt to the Chicago Bears ahead of the trade deadline for two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick. The first-round picks are for 2027 and 2028, while the fourth-round pick is for 2027 as well. 

The news came as a shock to Titans fans, but with the trade deadline on Nov. 10, the offers were going to start piling up eventually. Simmons shared on Wednesday that he didn't have any talks with his agent or the team about a trade. 

It's crazy how much can change in just one day in the NFL. 

The Titans are 1-6 and are in no position to be stingy with their top talent. Simmons probably won't be the only Titans player tied to trade talks as we get closer to the trade deadline. 

After the news of the trade broke, General Manager Mike Borgonzi addressed the decision at a press conference on Thursday. We hadn't heard from Borgonzi since the end of the preseason. 

Borgonzi shared that the thought of trading Simmons never crossed his mind since he got to Nashville in January of 2025. That was the case until Wednesday night, when Bears GM Ryan Poles sent him an offer he couldn't refuse. 

"Here to address the trade we made with Jeff today, Simmons," Borgonzi said. "You know, Jeff has been an elite player here in this organization. Both on and off the field. My respect and admiration for him, it's probably more than any player I've ever been around. You know, just to see the work he puts in every day. His leadership here, the past year and a half I've been here. These are tough decisions. You know, at no point any time since I've been here did we try to trade Jeffery Simmons. We've got a lot of phone calls on Jeff really since I've been hired here, but it's never really crossed my mind." 

Now that Simmons is with the Bears, he's playing on the same team as one of his college teammates. 

Simmons is back with Montez Sweat, whom he played with at Mississippi State. Sweat started his college career at Michigan State and transferred to Mississippi State, where he and Simmons overlapped. 

The Bears are getting the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL. Simmons went to four Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro three times. It wasn't until last year that he became a First-Team All-Pro for the first time in his NFL career. 

This goes back to what Borgonzi said shortly after he accepted the Titans job. He wants to build this team through the draft. 

The Titans got three picks from the Simmons. Two of them are for the upcoming draft, and then they'll have an additional first-round pick for the 2028 NFL Draft as well. 

It'll be interesting to see who becomes the leader on defense now that Simmons is gone. He was a leader in the locker room for many years. The Titans are now losing his production and leadership as they go in a new direction with Borgonzi and Robert Saleh. 

Titans Roundtable will keep you updated on any more trades involving the team ahead of the deadline.