{"id":288539,"date":"2026-06-19T20:11:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T00:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=288539"},"modified":"2026-06-19T20:11:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T00:11:43","slug":"titans-agree-to-a-massive-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/06\/19\/titans-agree-to-a-massive-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Titans Agree To A Massive Deal With Defensive Superstar In 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>News broke on Friday afternoon that the Titans agreed to a massive deal with superstar defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, while the entire country was fixated on the United States Men&#8217;s National Team doing its thing. Adam Schefter broke the news on his <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AdamSchefter\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">social media accounts<\/a> about the groundbreaking deal. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/01\/20\/report-tennessee-titans-make-decision-on-new-head-coach\/\" target=\"_self\">New head coach Robert Saleh<\/a> has his defensive centerpiece locked in as he begins his second stint as an NFL head coach.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Tennessee Titans and DT Jeff Simmons have agreed to a 3-year, $35.3 million per year extension that includes $100M guaranteed, as confirmed by @toddfrance_ on instagram. <\/p>\n<p>The deal makes Simmons the highest paid DT in NFL history, and was negotiated by France and A.J. Stevens\u2026<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AdamSchefter\/status\/2068061309246275836?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 19, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Tennessee Titans Agree to A Massive Deal With Defensive Superstar in 2026<\/h2>\n<p>Simmons entered the league with the franchise via the 19th selection in the 2019 NFL Draft and has been a force to be reckoned with ever since. In 99 career games, the versatile athlete has logged 42.5 sacks for the organization. He currently ranks eighth all-time in franchise history for sacks and is second among defensive tackles behind the indomitable Jurrell Casey (51). With another typical Simmons season, he should catch Casey during the 2026 season or early in 2027.<\/p>\n<p>He has more than earned his groundbreaking extension by carrying a haphazard defense in 2025 with 11 sacks. After Aaron Donald&#8217;s retirement, he&#8217;s in contention for the title of best defensive tackle in the league. With this extension, it&#8217;s hoped that the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/10\/19\/jeffery-simmons-trade-update-titans-update-status-on-star-defensive-tackle\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">trade speculation<\/a> will be put to bed for at least a little while longer for the superstar. The team celebrated the extension with a classic photo.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">MOOD <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1nKey35C1X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/1nKey35C1X<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tennessee Titans (@Titans) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Titans\/status\/2068067659581657284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 19, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>How does the deal affect the Titans?<\/h3>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/overthecap.com\/salary-cap-space\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OverTheCap<\/a>, Tennessee entered the day with the second-most cap space in the league with a shade over $49.5 million. The 49ers lead the league in that regard with over $71 million in cap room. Depending on how the deal is structured, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/03\/18\/tennessee-titans-offseason-spending-spree-rings-in-new-theme\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">free agency spending spree<\/a> has whittled Tennessee&#8217;s 2027 cap space to just $6 million. Tennessee locked up one of the preeminent defensive tackles for the foreseeable future, as Simmons and the Titans agreed to a massive deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"a61405551f80e72f675225f083759bb9\" image-id=\"fwuQjyBZ7sYS\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 3500px; aspect-ratio: 3500\/5250;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p>It further fortifies the defense that the Titans will put forth after a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/04\/26\/tennessee-titans-2026-draft-grades-trench-kings-carry-the-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">solid draft class<\/a> and robust free agency, overhauling a bad team. He&#8217;ll be a terror alongside free agent signing <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/03\/09\/disruptive-34-sack-defensive-lineman-agrees-to-contract\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">John Franklin-Myers<\/a> for years to come. The positional versatility of both players will be immense for defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and Coach Saleh.<\/p>\n<h3>How does the deal affect Simmons?<\/h3>\n<p>Simmons, before the extension agreement, entered the 2026 season on the last guaranteed season on the extension he signed in 2023. He was set to have no guaranteed salary during the 2027 season, so GM Mike Borgonzi needed to lock up a hugely important core piece for the long term. He did just that with this extension. Simmons is justly compensated for his efforts in 2025. The former Mississippi State star led the league in tackles, pressures and sacks among all interior defensive linemen. He earned his fourth Pro Bowl selection in 2025 and a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/01\/11\/tennessee-titans-pro-bowlers-earn-additional-honors\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">third All-Pro selection<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons, to his credit, kept on saying that Tennessee was his forever home. The Titans&#8217; defensive superstar is now the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AdamSchefter\/status\/2068064251781271709?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">clear-cut highest-paid defensive tackle<\/a> in league history, eclipsing the effervescent Chris Jones by a whopping $4 million. Big Jeff and the Titans agree to a massive deal, making it one of Nashville&#8217;s best success stories. While the numbers are certainly eye-watering, the terms of the extension are palatable. It&#8217;s essentially a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/titansfilmroom\/status\/2068068155549704259?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three-year tack on<\/a> his 2026 contract numbers, allowing for a 5-year contract worth $31.7 million AAV in the end. He&#8217;ll be on the Titans&#8217; books until 2030.<\/p>\n<p>Simmons released a statement about his megabucks extension via the team&#8217;s website (credit: Paul Kuharsky)<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Jeffery Simmons on contract extension: <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dUh7DKnMvm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/dUh7DKnMvm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PaulKuharskyNFL\/status\/2068064132612411546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 19, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>What&#8217;s next?<\/h3>\n<p>Tennessee enters summer vacation with a critically important negotiation locked in with Simmons, and the Titans agree to a massive deal that benefits both parties. Training camp will open in late July, with the cellar-dwelling Titans looking to raise their competitive fervor in the rough-and-tumble AFC South, ready for the taking.<\/p>\n<p>Can the newly paid Simmons and company take Tennessee to heights not seen in a long time? All of the Titans&#8217; hopes ride on Cam Ward&#8217;s right arm doing wondrous things. Will the new-look Titans offense help the defense, for a change, under new OC Brian Daboll, with a host of new weapons?<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo Courtesy of Steve Roberts &#8211; Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A stalwart of the Tennessee defense and the Titans agree to a massive deal before summer vacation. How will it affect the superstar defender and the team going forward? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4788,"featured_media":288565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,11],"tags":[4963,7700],"class_list":["post-288539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-news","category-titans","tag-jeffery-simmons","tag-tennessee-titans-news"],"modified_by":"Drew VonScio","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4788"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288539"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":288566,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288539\/revisions\/288566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}