Well, well, well!
The subject line of Wednesday’s email read “Your Move, Ryan Poles” and it only took until Thursday for the Bears GM to make the biggest move possible.
Jeffery Simmons was the No. 1 player on The Athletic’s Trade Deadline Big Board and now he’s headed to Chicago to join the Bears for their road trip to Seattle.
He’ll be here the rest of this Super Bowl push, too.
Yes, you read that right. This move by Poles signals they believe a Valentine’s date for the big game in Los Angeles is a real goal. He watched the Seahawks and Niners bolster themselves earlier this week with choice pieces from a rebuilding AFC South team and then went out and did the same.
The cost for the Bears is substantial: First rounders in 2027 and 2028, plus a fourth rounder in 2027. The Titans will send the Bears a 2028 fifth rounder.
But if it gets the Bears back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2006 season, it will be worth the cost.
Three things to know about the 29-year-old Simmons if you don’t watch the Titans much (understandable) and he’s just coming into your life.
He’s a no-doubt game-wrecker: In his eighth season, Simmons has still produced for a bad 1-6 Titans team. Through seven games, he has four sacks, six tackles for loss, 38 tackles, a forced fumble and four pass deflections. Some Bears fans might remember the fumble he forced on David Montgomery in 2020 that led to a 63-yard touchdown return. (He also trash talked Caleb Williams’ fingernails before the QB’s debut in 2024, but QB18’s reaction on Thursday makes it seem like that’ll be water under the bridge.)
He just signed a new extension: Simmons was named first-team All-Pro in 2025, second-team in 2021/2022 and has been named to the Pro Bowl four times. That type of performance earned him a monster extension this offseason: A three-year deal worth $105.8 million that keeps him under contract with the Bears until 2030, his age 33 season.
He played in college with Montez Sweat: Both standouts were drafted out of Mississippi State in 2019. Simmons was drafted at 19 by Tennessee, Sweat went seven picks later to Washington. Now they’ll team up in the NFL for a Bears unit that will need increased pressure to achieve its goals. One interesting note: Both men have worn No. 98 in the NFL, though neither did in college (Sweat was No. 9, while Simmons wore No. 94.)
I’m excited for this addition and you should be, too. I also can’t wait for tonight’s Bears By 7 podcast with Ryan Droste. What timing.
OK, let’s get to three takeaways for Bears By 7 members, including why this isn’t the Khalil Mack trade, why the Bears were able to make the deal and what worries me about the move.
If you’re not already a member, it seems like a good time to jump on? Just $5 a month or $45 a year to help push Bears By 7 toward the Super Bowl ⬇️
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