Tennessee Titans agree to contract extension with Jeffery Simmons, per report
The Tennessee Titans and star defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons have agreed in principle to a four-year contract extension, ESPN's Turron Davenport reported Friday.
Simmons, 25, has been one of the NFL's best young defensive linemen over the last few seasons. The No. 19 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft earned Pro Bowl and Second Team AP All-Pro honors the last two seasons. In his four seasons in Nashville, Simmons has logged 21 sacks, 28 tackles for loss, 19 pass breakups and 46 quarterback hits.
ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport are both reporting the terms of Simmons' contract as a four-year, $94 million contract. At $23.5 million annually, Simmons is now the second-highest paid defensive tackle in football behind the Los Angeles Rams' Aaron Donald.
The #Titans and Jeffery Simmons agreed in principle to a four-year contract extension. Simmons' agent @paulderousselle and GM Ran Carthon ensure the Titans will have their premier player for the long haul.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) April 7, 2023
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The Titans' move to extend Simmons comes after an offseason of roster contraction. The Titans cleared salary cap space by releasing pricy veterans such as offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, linebackers Bud Dupree and Zach Cunningham, receiver Robert Woods and center Ben Jones.
Simmons is the first Titans first round pick to earn a contract extension since Lewan, the team's first-round selection in 2014.
The former Mississippi State player alluded to the contract extension with a couple of tweet on Friday just before it was reported. In his first tweet, Simmons thanked Titans fans for the last four years but he followed with a second tweet saying "we are not done yet."
Titans Nation, thank you for the last 4 years! I am so grateful for you guys…..
— Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94) April 7, 2023
But we are not done yet, dammit! LFG!!!! We have so much work to do! pic.twitter.com/n3UmFCe9jJ
— Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94) April 7, 2023
In addition to Simmons, the Titans have made a flurry of moves to sign in-their-prime pieces for 2023. They signed free agent offensive linemen Andre Dillard and Daniel Brunskill, edge rusher Arden Key, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Luke Gifford and put tenders on restricted free agents Teair Tart and Aaron Brewer.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans, Jeffery Simmons agree to contract extension
