Jeffery Simmons NFL Career: Biography, Stats and Trade
Jeffery Simmons posted a career-high 11 sacks last season, and the Chicago Bears paid two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder to get him. Tennessee had traded away a defensive tackle for multiple first-rounders for the first time since 1967, according to ESPN Research, and that is where the Jeffery Simmons NFL story stands as of November 2, 2026.
Simmons is a 29-year-old defensive tackle, drafted 19th overall by the Titans in 2019, who joined the Bears on October 29, 2026. This guide covers his career highlights, how he got to the NFL, what the trade cost, and what to watch when he makes his Bears debut on Monday night.
Jeffery Simmons Biography and NFL Career: From Mississippi State to the Draft
Simmons played at Mississippi State from 2016 to 2018. He appeared in 12 games, starting three, as a true freshman, then broke out in 2018 with 63 tackles, a team-high 17 for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and four pass deflections. Over three seasons, he recorded 163 tackles, 33 for loss and seven sacks.
His draft path was complicated. In March 2016, at 17, he was filmed hitting a woman during a fight involving his sister and mother, and he later pleaded no contest to simple assault. Mississippi State suspended him for one game. The NFL did not invite him to the scouting combine, but teams could still interview him. Then he tore his ACL while training for the draft. Some scouts had projected him as a potential top-10 pick before the injury, and the Titans took him at No. 19. Owner Amy Adams Strunk publicly defended the choice, saying the team had interviewed Simmons and people at Mississippi State at length.
He signed a four-year, $12.66 million rookie contract with a fifth-year option.
Jeffery Simmons NFL Career With the Titans: 2019 to 2026
Simmons began his rookie year on the non-football injury list and came off it on October 19, 2019. In his debut the next day against the Chargers, he had four tackles and his first sack, on Philip Rivers. He finished the season with 32 tackles and two sacks in nine games, and the Titans reached the AFC Championship Game.
His second season brought 49 tackles, three sacks, five pass deflections, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. In 2021, he reached 8.5 sacks in 17 games. In 2024, he set a career high with 76 tackles, along with five sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
Across eight seasons in Tennessee, he played 106 regular-season games, with 104 starts. He recorded 414 tackles, 72 tackles for loss, 46.5 sacks, 96 quarterback hits, nine forced fumbles and 31 pass breakups, according to the Bears.
The 2026 season started badly for the team. Through seven games, Simmons had four sacks, 38 tackles and six tackles for loss, and Tennessee was 1–6.
Jeffery Simmons Career Highlights and Honours
- First-team All-Pro in 2025, his third AP All-Pro selection overall.
- Four Pro Bowls.
- A career-best 11 sacks in 2025, which broke the Titans-era record for a defensive tackle, previously 10.5 sacks by Jurrell Casey in 2013. That season he also had 67 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, 21 quarterback hits and his first safety.
- A Titans franchise record of three sacks in a playoff game, in the 2021 AFC Divisional Round.
- Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year honoree for the Titans three seasons in a row.
Among Jeffery Simmons’ NFL honours, the 2025 First-Team All-Pro selection is the biggest, because it came in the same season he set his sack record.
The Jeffery Simmons NFL Contract and Trade to the Bears
In June 2026, Simmons signed a three-year, $105.8 million extension through 2030, with $100 million guaranteed. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported it made him the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history.
Four months later, the Bears agreed to trade for him. Chicago sent its 2027 and 2028 first-round picks and a 2027 fourth-round pick to Tennessee for Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick. ESPN reported that the Titans had rejected earlier inquiries, including one from the Bears during joint practices last summer. Bears general manager Ryan Poles reopened talks with Titans GM Mike Borgonzi on the Tuesday before the deal.
What the Trade Means for the Bears and the Titans?
For the Bears, who were 5–2, Simmons filled a need on a defensive line that had been questioned. Through seven weeks, Chicago ranked third in rushing yards allowed (87.6 per game) and fifth in sacks (18). Simmons led all defensive tackles with 28 pressures going into Week 8, according to Next Gen Stats. He also played 425 of Tennessee’s 490 defensive snaps, the most of any interior defender. He reunites with Bears defensive end Montez Sweat, his teammate for two seasons at Mississippi State.
For the 1–6 Titans, the deal adds two first-round picks as the team rebuilds. Tennessee’s website quoted Strunk saying the organization is grateful to Simmons.
Jeffery Simmons NFL Debut for the Bears: What to Watch
Simmons is scheduled to make his Bears debut tonight, Monday, November 2, at Seattle against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. He will wear No. 99 because No. 98 was already taken in Chicago. Sweat returns from a two-game suspension for the game. General manager Poles said he assumed Simmons would play, but he left the decision on snap counts to the coaching staff. Check the box score for the result.
Conclusion
Simmons went from a draft-day question mark, with an ACL tear and a serious off-field incident in his past, to a three-time All-Pro and a $105.8 million contract. The Jeffery Simmons NFL career now moves to Chicago, where his new team has paid a very high price for his sack production. How he fits into the Bears’ defence over the rest of 2026 will show whether that price was justified.
