Titans, Pro Bowl DL agree on extension

Early in his GM tenure, Ran Carthon looks to have locked down one of his new team’s top players. The Titans agreed to an extension with Jeffery Simmons on Friday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

The standout defensive lineman was going into his fifth-year option season. This is believed to be a four-year extension pact, Davenport adds. During an offseason in which Carthon has moved some Titans mainstays off the roster, Simmons sticking around on a second contract represents a big win for the rookie GM. This deal will lock down Simmons through the 2027 season.

Simmons and the Titans engaged in talks on a new deal ahead of free agency. The former first-round pick has earned Pro Bowl nods in back-to-back seasons and has become one of the NFL’s best defensive linemen. Given Simmons’ path, it should be expected this deal will check in behind only Aaron Donald among interior D-linemen.

A Second-Team All-Pro in each of the past two seasons, Simmons has combined for 16 sacks during that span. For a Titans team that has seen numerous starters go down with injuries, Simmons has remained healthy and productive. This stretch will set up the Mississippi State alumnus financially, and the Titans should anticipate this contract to cover much of Simmons’ prime years. Simmons is heading into his age-26 season.

This represents the second domino to fall in what should be an interesting offseason for the defensive tackle position. The Commanders franchise-tagged Daron Payne but quickly agreed to terms on a $22.5M-per-year re-up. That still trails Donald’s outlier deal (three years, $95M) by more than $9M in AAV, but it comes in ahead of the previous second tier at the position. Simmons resided among the contingent of young D-tackles entering contract years. Quinnen Williams and Dexter Lawrence joined him; each will be awaiting the terms of the Titan standout’s accord. As will Chris Jones, who has a strong case to earn near-Donald-level dough from the Chiefs on his third contract.

The Titans have taken some risks in the first round recently. While some of them have not panned out, ex-GM Jon Robinson‘s 2019 call — taking Simmons despite his pre-draft ACL tear — certainly has. Simmons rehabbed in time to debut during the 2019 season, helping the Titans to the AFC Championship Game as a rookie. He has since been a central contributor to Tennessee’s rise. Although the Titans lost their 2021 playoff opener as the AFC’s No. 1 seed, they sacked Joe Burrow nine times. Simmons was responsible for three of those. That spree came two months after he sacked Super Bowl LVI’s other starting QB — Matthew Stafford — thrice during a Sunday-night game.

Simmons did not participate in Tennessee’s minicamp last year, staging a hold-in of sorts. Neither side attributed that observation-only period to contractual issues, and Simmons did not have much leverage at that point. He re-emerged and played 15 games for the Titans last season, representing a bright spot for a team that somehow ran into worse injury trouble than it did in 2021. Pro Football Focus graded Simmons as the NFL’s 10th-best interior D-lineman last season. Every front office would probably move him closer to the top five at the position overall, if not within the top five.

The Titans lost Harold Landry to an ACL tear just ahead of Week 1, and Bud Dupree missed more time. The disappointing free-agent signing is now off the roster, but the Titans are set to have Landry and Simmons teaming up for the first time in two years come September. Both accomplished pass rushers are now on veteran contracts. Landry agreed to a five-year, $87.5M extension just before free agency in 2022.

Tennessee lost DeMarcus Walker in free agency but still has Denico Autry under contract. Autry, whom the Titans signed in 2021, has combined for 17 sacks over the past two seasons. The team gave Teair Tart a second-round RFA tender in March. Simmons will remain the anchor of this group, one that should be better-positioned going into the 2023 season.