The Cleveland Browns shipping star pass-rusher Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams this past offseason wasn’t merely a blockbuster move for those two teams. Turns out, that deal kicked off a whole chain reaction, directly leading to the Chicago Bears getting defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans.
The Garrett Package That Changed Everything
ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped the news Sunday, detailing how Bears general manager Ryan Poles and Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi looked straight at the Garrett trade as their playbook. And when you see what the Rams gave up for Garrett, you get why it was the template. The Rams sent a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round pick, a 2029 third-round pick, and pass-rusher Jared Verse to the Browns. That’s a haul! Schefter even noted that the Titans front office saw Verse as basically a first-round pick himself when they were comparing notes. So, you’re talking about an insane package for an elite pass-rusher.
How Simmons Landed in the Windy City
With that Garrett deal forming the framework, the Titans knew what they were looking for when it came to moving Simmons. And the Bears paid up. Chicago sent two first-round picks, plus a 2027 fourth-round pick, to Tennessee for Simmons. The Titans also tossed in a 2028 fifth-round pick to sweeten the deal for the Bears. This isn’t only about two separate trades, right? This is about GMs looking at what happened with Garrett and saying, “Okay, *that’s* the new standard for a game-changing defensive lineman.”
This whole situation means a lot for how the league values its top-tier defensive talent moving forward. When you see two massive deals like this, where a precedent is clearly set and then directly followed, it paints a pretty clear picture for any team looking to acquire or trade an elite defensive lineman. The market received a serious re-calibration, and everyone’s going to be watching to see who’s next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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