NASHVILLE – The Titans weren't looking to trade defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, General Manager Mike Borgonzi said on Thursday.
But when a trade offer came that Borgonzi didn't think he could turn down, the Titans traded Simmons to the Chicago Bears with an eye toward the future.
"Jeff has been an elite player in this organization both on and off the field," Borgonzi said. "My respect and admiration for him is probably more than any player I've been around. … These are tough decisions, and at no point any time since I've been here did we every try to trade Jeffery Simmons – we've gotten a lot of phone calls, but it never really crossed my mind.
"I got a phone call late last night from a person I have known for a while, Ryan Poles, GM with the Bears, and he's really the only person that came out and said: Would you accept this?"
The trade the Titans were presented ended up looking like this when agreed upon:
The Titans receive:
-2027 first-round pick from the Bears.
-2027 fourth-round pick from the Bears.
-2028 first-round pick from the Bears.
The Bears receive:
-Simmons and a fifth-round pick in the 2028 draft.
Borgonzi said he talked to head coach Robert Saleh and Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk about the potential trade, and the decision was made to make it.
"Just going over where we're at as a roster," Borgonzi said. "We thought this was the best decision moving forward, but also, it's a really hard decision. Amy loves Jeff as a player, as a person. Every teammate in the locker room does. This was not easy, but we felt it was the best decision to really sustain success in the future here and to really build through the draft, and that gave us the opportunity here to really accelerate the process."
So, the two teams agreed to a deal, which is now pending a physical.
On Thursday, the franchise said goodbye to Simmons, a first-round pick of the Titans in the 2019 NFL Draft who was named to four Pro Bowls and was a five-time captain during his time with the Titans.
With the Titans at 1-6, and coming off back-to-back 3-14 seasons, Borgonzi said he had to take a realistic look at the future of the team, and the roster, and make a decision that would be best moving forward.
Saleh acknowledged how hard it was to bid farewell to Simmons, a player he has raved about since being named head coach back in January.
But he also said he thinks it was the right thing to do.
The Titans are now scheduled to have four first-round picks in the next two NFL Drafts.
"Like I told our guys, when you don't close out games and you are standing here at 1-6, teams are going to start fishing, and eventually a team threw a hook big enough I don't think any of us could have say no to," Saleh said.
"It sucks. Everything about it sucks, unfortunately necessary. And there's nothing to sell to anybody. It is what it is. This is the hard part of our business. But at the same time, there is opportunity for guys to step up. …
"This is unfortunate because we love Jeff. He's elite; an elite player, elite person, elite leader. Love him to death. But unfortunately, that's just part of the business."
