NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons cashed in on his first All-Pro selection with a record-setting deal.
Tennessee announced Friday the 28-year-old signed a multiyear contract extension. The Titans did not share terms of the deal, but ESPN.com and NFL Network both reported the three-year extension is for $35.3 million per year with $100 million guaranteed — making Simmons the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history.
“From Day 1, this organization believed in me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to pour into this franchise and community,” Simmons said in a statement. “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 wanted to keep Simmons as one of the foundational pieces of their rebuild. 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.
“You always want to keep your best players and we accomplished that today,” general manager Mike Borgonzi said. “We’re excited for Jeffery to be here in Nashville for the long haul.”
Simmons led NFL defensive tackles with a career-high 11 sacks in 2025 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 being double-teamed. Those were the best in the league among tackles.
The four-time Pro Bowler has been one of the league's defensive stalwarts for years.
Since the Titans selected him in the first round of the 2019 draft at No. 19 overall, 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 is a five-time team captain and been the Titans' Walter Payton Man of the Year representative three times.
Borgonzi called Simmons a pillar of the franchise and someone who embodies what it means to be a Titan.
“He’s the premier defensive tackle in the National Football League and you win with players like Jeffery,” Borgonzi said. “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.”
Simmons is one of five players in franchise history to have at least five sacks in five consecutive seasons since sacks became an official stat in 1982.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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