We now know how the Jeffery Simmons trade came together, and the story goes back a lot further than Wednesday afternoon. Albert Breer laid it all out in his latest notebook, and it starts in a Kansas City apartment in 2009. Ryan Poles and Titans GM Mike Borgonzi were young scouts on Scott Pioli’s Chiefs staff and roommates. Nick Sirianni lived downstairs. They first crossed paths a couple of years earlier at Boston College, where Poles was a starting guard, and Borgonzi worked in recruiting.
That relationship turned out to be the whole ballgame. Teams had been calling Tennessee about Simmons for roughly 20 months, but Borgonzi never engaged. He worried that opening talks with just anyone would lead to a leak, and a failed negotiation that went public would have cost the Titans more than it was worth. So nobody ever got as far as putting a real offer on the table. When Poles called Wednesday, Borgonzi was willing to listen because he trusted the conversation would stay between them. Breer’s take is that without that trust, this deal doesn’t happen. Once they started talking, it moved fast. Poles made the first call in the 5 p.m. CT hour. Borgonzi told him the price would need to look like what Cleveland got for Myles Garrett, and it had to start with two first-round picks. Poles called back at 7, and the two had a soft agreement by 8. The Bears wanted something back, which is why the fourth-rounder moved to 2027, and Chicago picked up a 2028 fifth. (Screen grab via Chicago Bears/YouTube) For what it’s worth, the Titans ranked the Bears’ offer as one of the best returns they’d seen in any trade over the last 20 years or so. By their math, it came in eighth. So if you were looking for confirmation that Chicago paid a premium, there it is. If you want my case for why it was worth it, I laid that out yesterday. One of the more telling reactions to the trade came from the Titans’ side. You don’t often hear from an NFL owner when a defensive tackle gets traded, but Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk put out her own statement Thursday. She opened by saying there are few people like Jeff Simmons, then spent most of it on what he gave Nashville off the field, pointing to his Give ‘Em A Reason Foundation and its work in Middle Tennessee and Mississippi. She closed by thanking him for how he played, led, and represented the team. That’s not a statement you write for just anyone.Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk statement pic.twitter.com/HO4Jyvke8c
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 29, 2026 Simmons posted his own goodbye to Nashville on Instagram Friday, and it reads like a letter he never expected to write. He talked about the city becoming home, about growing there as a player, a man, a father, and a leader, and about always picturing himself finishing what he started there. He thanked “Ms. Amy” by name, along with every coach, teammate, and staffer, and said the relationships he built in that building mean more to him than any sack. According to Breer, Strunk told Borgonzi she loved Simmons as a player and a person but understood why the deal made sense. Simmons told Borgonzi and Robert Saleh he was heartbroken, and they told him he’d be back one day to be honored as one of the franchise’s all-time greats. The Bears paid a premium for an All-Pro. Based on how Nashville said goodbye, they’re getting a leader, too..@GrindSimmons94 says his goodbye via Instagram “I never thought I would be writing this, because as a player, I don’t think we can ever be prepared for a moment like this. The love I have for the city of Nashville is unmatched.” #TitanUp @WKRN pic.twitter.com/L4lGogJaoD
— Julian Mininsohn (@JMininsohn) October 30, 2026 A few national voices weighed in on the price. Bill Simmons and Tom Pelissero called it a big bet on The Ringer. Cris Collinsworth framed it as the Bears seizing their window. My favorite take came from The Trib’s Brad Biggs on 104.3 The Score, who pointed out that the Titans already paid Simmons his $20 million signing bonus. As Biggs put it, Tennessee “already did the dirty work here.”.@BradBiggs on the price the Bears paid for Jeffery Simmons: "Players of his caliber aren't available in the discount bin. You're going to have to pay a premium."Biggs explains a benefit for the Bears is that the Titans already paid Simmons his $20-million signing bonus from… pic.twitter.com/YGBahrCYGV
— 104.3 The Score (@thescorechicago) October 30, 2026 Is Poles done? Up & Adams’ Kay Adams is lobbying for a Khalil Mack reunion:We love the Jeffery Simmons trade, now @bears… GO GET Khalil Mack ?@heykayadams pic.twitter.com/DLvUJYUNhZ
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 30, 2026 And finally, the best story of the day. Bears offensive coordinator Press Taylor got a FaceTime from his brother, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, after the trade went down. Press figured Zac was calling to congratulate him. Instead, Zac was calling to say thanks. The Bengals play the Titans this week.Press Taylor said his brother, Zac Taylor, HC of the Bengals FaceTimed him after the Jeffery Simmons trade ? pic.twitter.com/bD97jmqByT
— Devan Kaney (@Devan_Kaney) October 30, 2026THE BN BEARS PODCAST LIVES HERE: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
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