The Titans have already started pivoting to 2025, with the organization having dealt wideout DeAndre Hopkins and linebacker Ernest Jones over the past week. While the front office will likely continue to sell off players with an eye towards the future, one piece that is likely staying put is defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Simmons is considered “off-limits” in trade talks. The Titans believe the defensive lineman is a “big part of their future,” and the rebuilding squad presumably has Simmons penciled in to their future cap sheets.
The former first-round pick has spent his entire career in Tennessee, earning a pair of All-Pro nods while collecting 26.5 sacks. The lineman inked a four-year, $94M extension with the organization prior to the 2023 campaign, but he was limited to only 12 games that season before landing on IR.
The 27-year-old has appeared in five of the Titans’ six games this year, collecting 17 stops and one sack. Pro Football Focus has ranked Simmons 18th among 119 qualifying interior defenders this season, including the third-best positional grade for run defense.
Naturally, a number of teams would love to add the 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman to their defense, with Russini specifically pointing to the Lions, Ravens and Vikings. Those squads would also likely be eyeing Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby and Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett, although Russini echoes previous
reports that those two players won’t be moved. Instead, the reporter suggests DL-needy teams could look to the likes of Jadeveon Clowney (Panthers), Preston Smith (Packers) and Za’Darius Smith (Browns).