Today marks one week since the Chicago Bears poached defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans.
Two first-round picks, and a fourth-round pick for the game-wrecker, and a fifth-round pick. If Monday night's 34-17 win against Seattle ( in Seattle) is any indication, those first-rounders will be very late .
If that contest is a sign of things to come, it's abundantly clear Chicago's trade package was too light. Simmons was a force to be reckoned with on every snap, and they allowed only three yards per play when he was on the field (as opposed to allowing 13.3 yards per play with him on the sideline).
The Titans reportedly maintained that Simmons wasn't for sale, but Bears general manager Ryan Poles began the negotiation by mentioning the two first-round selections. That's the key disparity that eventually got the deal over the finish line.
The Bears weren't bidding against other teams. As it turns out, other general managers wish they had gotten a chance to get in on the action. NFL insider Ari Meirov provided some insight into those conversations this morning.
"I still do have a couple of issues with what Tennessee did because I do think they could've opened this up, have more of a bidding war here, maybe get more [compensation]," Meirov said. "But they felt like that package was good enough and this was not going to leak anywhere and the player is not going to find out in the media before he gets traded.
"There are teams out there who told me, and maybe they're just saying this because it's after the face, they told me they would've offered more for Jeffery Simmons. This was not shopped by the Titans."
Nov 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (99) leaves the field after defeating the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Simmons deal was the third blockbuster of its kind in the last calendar year. The first of which occurred ahead of the trade deadline last season, when the then 7-2 Colts traded two first-round picks and receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Mitchell had struggled to carve out a role in the Colts' offense, but he's looked much more promising this season in New York. Meanwhile, Indianapolis won only one game the rest of the way (after QB Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon) and only three games since. The trade looks like a fleece for New York.
The Browns also traded reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Rams for edge rusher Jared Verse and a first-, second-, and third-round selection this offseason. Sure, Garrett was coming off one of the best defensive seasons we've ever seen from a defensive lineman (his 23 sacks set an NFL record), but that's a much steeper price than what the Bears gave up for a similarly impactful player.
Verse made a Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons and still had two years remaining on his rookie contract (and a relatively inexpensive fifth-year option). He would've probably fetched a first- and second-round pick on his own. Garrett is also a year and a half older than Simmons.
The hefty compensation was a small price to pay for the impact that he's already had on their defense . Other GMs clearly had foresight that the situation might play out that way, as well.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bears/onsi as Did the Bears Get a Steal in Jeffery Simmons? Other Teams Say They Would Have Paid More .
