NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons cashed in on his first All-Pro first-team selection with what is believed to be a record-setting deal.
The Titans announced Friday that the team and the 28-year-old Simmons, who was an All-Pro second-team pick in 2021 and 2022, have reached a deal on a multiyear contract extension. The team’s release did not provide terms of the deal, but ESPN.com and NFL Network both reported the extension is for three years and $35.3 million per season with $100 million guaranteed, which would make Simmons the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.
In a post on the Nashville franchise’s website, Simmons offered his thanks, specifically mentioning team owner Amy Adams Strunk.
“Tennessee has become a second home for me,” said Simmons, who was born in Louisiana and was a high school and college football standout in Mississippi. “From day one, this organization believed in me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to pour into this franchise and community. I want to thank God, my family, my teammates, Ms. Amy and the entire Titans organization for believing in me. My job isn’t finished. I believe in this locker room and this staff, and I’m focused on helping this team get back to competing for championships.”
The Titans, who are entering their first season with Robert Saleh as head coach and are in their second year with Mike Borgonzi as general manager, wanted to keep Simmons as one of the foundational pieces of their rebuild. They are coming off back-to-back 3-14 seasons, and they haven’t made the playoffs since repeating as AFC South Division champions in the 2021 season, but quarterback Cam Ward — the No. 1 pick of the 2025 NFL draft — provided hope for the offense while starting every game as a rookie last season, and Simmons has been a defensive stalwart in Music City for years.
The new deal locks him up through 2030 and is the second extension Simmons has signed. He also agreed to a four-year deal worth $94 million in 2023.
In the team release, Borgonzi said Simmons “is a pillar for our franchise and embodies what it means to be a Titan,” with the GM also calling the 6-foot-4, 305-pounder “the premier defensive tackle in the National Football League.”
“You win with players like Jeffery,” Borgonzi added. “Not only is his leadership on the field what we want our program to represent, but off the field, he sets the standard for our community. … You always want to keep your best players, and we accomplished that today. We’re excited for Jeffery to be here in Nashville for the long haul.”
Simmons was a Pro Bowl selection for the fourth time last season, when he led NFL defensive tackles with a career-high 11 sacks along with his 39 solo tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 60 quarterback pressures.
According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Simmons had a 13.9% pressure rate and 18 pressures after facing double-team blocking. Those were the best in the league among defensive tackles.
Since the Titans selected him in the first round of the 2019 draft at No. 19 overall out of Mississippi State, Simmons has started 97 of 99 games. He has 42 1/2 sacks, 383 tackles, eight forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and 27 passes defensed.
Simmons has been a team captain in five of his seasons, and three times he has been the Titans’ nominee for the annual Walter Payton Man of the Year honor, which recognizes both outstanding community service and excellence on the field.
He is one of five players in the history of this franchise — which debuted as the AFL’s Houston Oilers in 1960, moved to Tennessee ahead of the 1997 season, then became the Titans in 1999 — to have at least five sacks in five consecutive seasons since sacks became an official league stat in 1982.
The Titans wrapped up their offseason program with the conclusion of a mandatory minicamp this week, and when Simmons was asked about his contract situation Wednesday, he said it wasn’t his current focus.
“This organization been nothing but good to me, so I’m not so focused on the contract right now,” he said. “Like I said, my goal this offseason is let me go work my tail off and get ready for training camp.”
Now he’ll do so knowing even bigger personal rewards are ahead.