Bears Trade Two First-Rounders For Titans' Simmons

The Chicago Bears agreed to acquire Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons on Thursday, Oct. 29, sending their 2027 and 2028 first-round picks plus a 2027 fourth-round selection to the Titans. Tennessee also sends a 2028 fifth-round pick to Chicago in the deal.

Simmons, 29, has four sacks in seven games this season and leads all defensive tackles with 28 pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. He is the only player in the league with three sacks against double teams. Chicago sits at 5-2 under quarterback Caleb Williams, with two straight wins, and plays at Seattle on Monday night before chasing the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North.

The move follows an 11-6 season in 2025, Chicago's first division title since 2018. The Bears beat Green Bay in a wild-card game and lost to the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in the divisional round during Ben Johnson's first year as head coach. Chicago has not won a Super Bowl since 1985.

Tennessee is 1-6 entering Sunday's game at Cincinnati. The Titans went 3-14 in each of the past two seasons and have not posted a winning record since going 12-5 in 2021. Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi said, "Jeff has been an elite player here in this organization, both on and off the field. My respect and admiration for him is probably more than any player I've really been around. Just to see the work that he puts in every day, his leadership here the past year and a half that I've been here. These are tough decisions."

Titans coach Robert Saleh addressed the trade market on Thursday, saying, "No one's shopping any of our guys, but like I told our guys, when you don't close out games and you're standing here at 1-6, teams are going to start fishing. And eventually a team threw a hook big enough that I don't think any of us could have said no to."

Simmons was drafted by Tennessee in the first round of the 2019 draft out of Mississippi State, where he played with Bears defensive end Montez Sweat. He appeared in nine games with seven starts as a rookie and recorded two sacks. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds, he made first-team All-Pro in 2025 with a career-high 11 sacks in 15 games and has been selected to four Pro Bowls. He signed an extension in June reported to cover three years with more than $100 million guaranteed.

Johnson spoke about roster moves on Wednesday, Oct. 28, before the deadline: "That's certainly Ryan's domain, and yet we have constant dialogue of what this team needs and where we can impact ourselves not just this year but years in the future as well." The NFL trade deadline falls on Nov. 10. Simmons said Wednesday he was focused on the present: "I don't worry about the things I can't control. Them types of things are a distraction."

The Bears host a game after the Seattle trip, and Tennessee visits Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 1, before the league's Nov. 10 deadline.