Head coach John Harbaugh has significant influence on the New York Giants‘ football decisions. When the team hired him earlier this year, it was revealed that Harbaugh would report directly to the Giants’ ownership rather than operating under general manager Joe Schoen. So it’s easy to understand why Harbaugh was involved in former Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons’ pursuit.
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Per The Athletic‘s Jonathan Jones, Schoen reached out to the Titans general manager, Mike Borgonzi, to acquire Simmons ahead of the November 10 trade deadline. However, Borgonzi initially told Schoen that the veteran DT wasn’t available. That prompted Coach Harbaugh to make an unusual move.
“Multiple sources tell The Athletic the Giants head coach called Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk directly in an attempt to trade for the All-Pro defensive tackle, breaking with traditional NFL trade-talk norms,” Jones reported. “The Giants have been looking to make a deal ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline, knowing they will go into Week 9 atop the NFC East.”
Strunk made it clear that trade decisions rested with Borgonzi and she had no intention of overruling him. Harbaugh still wasn’t convinced.
“General manager Joe Schoen had previously reached out to Titans GM Mike Borgonzi, who told Schoen and other inquiring teams that they wouldn’t trade Simmons,” he further noted. “Harbaugh then opted to call Strunk, the Titans’ controlling owner, in an attempt to get Simmons. Harbaugh got the same message from Strunk, who has empowered Borgonzi to make football decisions for the franchise.”
Despite Harbaugh’s efforts, the Titans ultimately traded Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears on October 29. Chicago landed the veteran and Tennessee’s highest-paid player by offering a 2027 first- and fourth-round pick, along with a 2028 first-rounder. The Bears also received a 2028 fifth-round pick in the deal.
Jones’ reporting included a particularly interesting reaction from another NFL general manager who had learned about the conversation. That executive suggested the move violated an unwritten understanding among the NFL front-office decision-makers.
However, after Borgonzi had previously rejected inquiries about Simmons, Tennessee’s circumstances changed dramatically during October.
The Titans entered the season with expectations of rebuilding their roster under head coach Robert Saleh. On top of that, the team had signed Simmons on a three-year, $105.9 million deal this past offseason, making him the highest-paid defensive tackle in the league.
However, their disappointing start left the organization facing difficult decisions.
By the first seven weeks of the 2026 season, Tennessee had fallen to 1-6, following back-to-back 3-14 seasons in 2024 and 2025. Per Jones, the Titans’ leadership group held a meeting on Tuesday, October 27, to discuss the team’s direction. Following the meeting, the organization decided to start listening to offers for Simmons.
Eventually, Tennessee traded Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears, and Borgonzi’s decision to trade Simmons to the Bears despite receiving calls from multiple teams drew significant attention.
Borgonzi and the Bears’ general manager Ryan Poles have known each other since their Boston College days and later with the Kansas City Chiefs. When Poles reached out to trade for Simmons, Borgonzi couldn’t say no.
“Jeff has been an elite player in this organization both on and off the field,” the GM said after the trade. “My respect and admiration for him is probably more than any player I’ve been around. … These are tough decisions, and at no point any time since I’ve been here did we every try to trade Jeffery Simmons – we’ve gotten a lot of phone calls, but it never really crossed my mind. I got a phone call late last night from a person I have known for a while, Ryan Poles, GM with the Bears, and he’s really the only person that came out and said: Would you accept this?”
That said, Harbaugh’s direct approach ultimately failed to bring Simmons to New York, but it revealed just how determined the Giants were to strengthen their defensive line. Meanwhile, Borgonzi’s willingness to do business with Poles, despite rejecting several other inquiries, added another layer to an already unusual trade saga. The Giants will now have to look elsewhere for the defensive reinforcement Harbaugh wanted.