Winners and Losers: Titans Trade Star DT Jeffery Simmons to Bears in Blockbuster Deal

Circling winners and losers in the Titans' biggest deal in recent memory, as the team trades fan-favorite star DT Jeffery Simmons to the Bears.

Oct 11, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) stands during the National Anthem against the Houston Texans during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tennessee Titans have done the unthinkable... or have they? After years of trade rumors floating around star DT Jeffery Simmons, the Titans have finally taken the biggest swing possible in their rebuild and made the trade.

Simmons is being dealt to the Chicago Bears, per Tom Pelissero, in return for two first-round picks and a fourth-round selection in Nashville. The Titans send a 2028 fifth-rounder in return. This is Tennessee committing to a complete overhaul under Robert Saleh, and it makes sense on paper.

However, it's impossible not to be shocked by this news. Simmons is the definition of a franchise cornerstone, and just yesterday, he addressed a potential trade with little fanfare. In the aftermath of the move, here are the immediate winners and losers from the Titans-Bears agreement.

The Bears are sending two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder to the Titans for Jeff Simmons. A monster deal. https://t.co/yue0reyeOF

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 29, 2026

Winner: Tennessee's rebuild under Borgonzi, Saleh

This is as simple as it gets. General manager Mike Borgonzi will have two first-round picks to work with - one in each of the next two years. The impact of losing Simmons will be felt immediately (we'll touch on that), but the value here is truly unheard of.

On top of the two first-round selections, the Titans will get a complimentary 2027 fourth-rounder to boot. At 29 years old, to pretend that Simmons doesn't have any gas left in the tank is silly. He's got four sacks this season already.

All the same, eight seasons deep into his career as a Titan, that can only last for so long. The Bears are giving up assets in an effort to contend right now, and Tennessee is doing the opposite in the hopes to contend later in Robert Saleh's new regime.

These picks will be pivotal, but to have them in the first place is massive for a team stuck in the mud.

Loser: Titans' defensive line/pass rush

Naturally, it must be pointed out that Saleh's d-line is about to get a whole lot worse. The unit has already struggled to produce on a consistent basis in spite of Simmons - Tennessee sacked Deshuan Watson just once in their loss last Sunday.

With Simmons out of the picture (who has accounted for nearly half of the team's 11 sacks up to now), pieces like John Franklin-Myers and Jermaine Johnson II will have to pick up the slack in disrupting opposing offenses.

Oct 25, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive end Jermaine Johnson II (11) rushes the quarterback against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Still, what Simmons leaves behind simply can't be made up this season. Perhaps recently-claimed DT Jonah Laulu will help blunt this blow, but the Titans just lost one of the best players this franchise has ever seen.

You can argue that it's good for the team and accept that it will greatly lessen their defensive impact in the meantime.

Loser: The Jacksonville Jaguars

Finally, we come to an underrated loser in this whole ordeal. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who currently have a hold on the AFC South division and are in the market for a DT, will have to pay a whole lot more for one now.

Not only would it have been improbable for the Jaguars to pry the best DT on the market away from an in-divison rival, but now that Simmons has gone for a truly outrageous price, you can expect remaining options to be limited to a premium.

Compare the trend to OL Tyler LInderbaum signing a deal north of $80 million with the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason. Prices are about to skyrocket, and the Titans are to blame in this instance.

Tennessee loads up on stock for the future and manages to make life harder on the Jaguars in the meantime. That's a win for the Titans, but for a Jacksonville defense that already lost DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers, this is a stinging defeat.

Winner: John Franklin-Myers

Circling back to the aforemention Franklin-Myers, the 30-year old DL steps in as the sort of resident veteran remaining on this defense with Simmons gone. The Titans will be asking more of Myers now than ever.

But that's a win for the former Denver Bronco. Myers has 1.5 sacks up to now, and PFF has him graded at 31st among 126 qualified DLs in the NFL. That's the upper echelon, making him perhaps the only "elite" defender left on the line.

Myers has yet to rise to the heights of his 7.5-sack campaign last season, but perhaps an uptick in responsibility in Saleh's defense will do just that. Not only did Tennessee lose a great defender, but they lost a literal captain of this team.

He may be a relative newcomer that was signed earlier this year, but Myers is about the only d-lineman left that balances efficient play with years of experience in the league. Myers is a natural successor, and winner, in this defense.