After dominating the league with elite production, Tennessee’s defensive anchor has evolved into a rare powerhouse. Retaining his generational talent requires a massive financial commitment to secure Nashville's future.
The Tennessee Titans have one of the most dominant players in the NFL in defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
He just had arguably the best season of his NFL career with the Titans in 2025. He obviously didn't receive as much attention league-wide, since the Titans are a small-market team and finished with three wins for the second season in a row.
Still, Simmons put up 67 total tackles, 11 sacks and 17 TFLs. He made the Pro Bowl for the fourth time in his career.
The Titans knew pretty soon after Simmons' rookie contract was up that he was a special player. Tennessee awarded him a four-year, $94 million extension after making two Pro Bowls in his first four years in the league.
A big decision is on the horizon when it comes to the Titans and Big Jeff. His contract runs out in 2028, per Spotrac.
His predicted market value is now $34.4 million. That would mean if the Titans wanted to sign him to another four-year extension, it would be worth roughly $137.6 million.
This may seem like a daunting task, but if anything, I think the Titans should entertain paying him that much, if not giving him a blank check.
A defensive tackle is rarely effective at disrupting the run and sacking opposing quarterbacks. There have only been a few players in the NFL who are good at both. The Aaron Donald's of the world are few and far between, and Simmons is absolutely among them.
Simmons led all defensive tackles in sacks and TFLs last season. The next closest player was Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs, who had 12 TFLs and seven sacks as an interior defensive lineman.
Simmons is playing like the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL, and his new head coach, Robert Saleh, already knows it. At a recent press conference, Saleh said that Simmons was arguably the best player at his position.
"He's capable of doing a lot," Simmons said. "What you guys are going to find with us is that we try not to move guys that much. We want them to master their skill. Like, Jeffery [Simmons], he's an interior rusher. He's probably one of the best, arguably the best one in football, and our job is to find ways to get him one-on-ones. The more one-on-ones we can get him, the more we're going to win."
Players like Simmons or Donald don't come around very often. The Titans need to ensure Simmons stays in the Music City for as long as possible.
He is absolutely one of the best defensive tackles in the game right now and deserves to be paid as much as he's worth. His ability to attack opposing running backs and quarterbacks is worthy of another massive extension that could make him one of the highest-paid players in the league.
If there's anyone on the Titans who deserves to be paid for what he's worth, it's Simmons by a mile.
