Bears’ Jeffery Simmons trade reportedly came together overnight

Jeffery Simmons. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Bears’ Jeffery Simmons trade reportedly came together overnight

By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Oct 29, 2026 1:08 PM ET

The Chicago Bears are officially going all-in.

On Thursday, the Bears acquired superstar defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans for a pair of first-round picks and a 2027 fourth-round pick in exchange for Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round selection.

This trade came out of nowhere, and it turns out that it happened very quickly, even behind the scenes.

Titans GM reveals how quickly this trade materialized

After the reports of the trade surfaced, Titans GM Mike Borgonzi mentioned that Bears GM Ryan Poles called on Wednesday night about Simmons, and it was able to get done. Prior to that, Simmons was not made available.

#Titans Mike Borgonzi said Ryan Poles called him last night about Jeffery Simmons. Borgonzi hadn't been shopping Simmons up until that point. He spoke to Robert Saleh last night and Amy Adams-Strunk this morning before making the trade.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) October 29, 2026

The Bears reportedly also had interest in DeForest Buckner, but he was traded from the Indianapolis Colts to the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday.

Simmons was selected at No. 19 overall by the Titans in the 2019 NFL Draft, and he is a four-time Pro Bowler who is a force up front. Now, he heads to Chicago, and the Bears' chances of repeating as NFC North champions just got even better.

Matt Wadleigh

Matt Wadleigh is based in California and born and raised in the San Diego area. He studied print journalism at Fresno State for college and got to watch Paul George, Derek Carr and Davante Adams play in a Bulldogs uniform. His work has been featured at ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Sporting News, and various USA Today sites, including UCLA Wire, where he was the first managing editor

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