Titans $94M DT Projected for Career Year

Defense wins championship, at least that's the saying. While the Tennessee Titans managed to allow the second-fewest yards per game, they still found themselves winning just three games.

Wins over the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Houston Texans aren't going to cut it. Jeffery Simmons, who's been on this team since 2019, knows it's time to put up or shut up as he earned a $94 million extension in 2023.

One of The Athletics' latest articles in their "Countdown to Kickoff series" looked at bold predictions for the 2025 NFL season. Of all their predictions, Joe Rexrode's take on Simmons may be the boldest of them all: "Jeffery Simmons has 12-sack season."

"The preseason included more emotional outbursts from Simmons, including a shove of rookie quarterback Cam Ward in practice, and these are reminders that he’s not always the perfect leader for the Titans," he wrote.

Rexrode came to The Athletic after previously working at The Tennessean. He added, "He is still their best player, and he zipped past would-be blockers in the preseason with a slimmed-down frame. It’s the right move for a player who wants one more significant contract and knows sack production can help."

The senior reporter broke down the ideal season, "If T’Vondre Sweat takes a step in his second season, that pairing will be the strength of the team and Simmons will have more opportunities to get home."

For reference, Simmons has never had a season with more than 8.5 sacks. His numbers have gone down significantly since he hit that mark back in 2021. Rexrode believes Simmons has another big contract left in him, though he's going to have to prove it.

It's also important to note that Simmons hasn't played 17 games in a season since '21. In the last three seasons, he's played 15, 12, and 16 games. The 28-year-old had 7.5 sacks in '22, 5.5 in '23, and only 5 last season.

Assuming Simmons plays all 17 games, a 12-sack season would be an average of 0.7 sacks per game. Last season, he averaged just 0.31 per game. It's called a bold prediction for a reason as Rexrode's number would need Simmons to more than double his production from a year ago.

Take nothing away from the 2019 1st round pick who had an overall PFF grade of 80.4 last season. While his numbers may not jump off the paper, he still had the 6th highest pass rush grade (81.6) in 2024.

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