In what comes as a surprise to absolutely no one, the Tennessee Titans have decided to exercise the fifth-year option of defensive lineman and 2019 first-round pick, Jeffery Simmons.
The news comes from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. According to Spotrac, Simmons will make $10.75 million in 2023 under the fifth-year option.
Simmons, who tore his ACL prior to the 2019 NFL draft, was selected No. 19 overall and has been an absolute steal for the Titans since entering the league.
The Mississippi State product showed plenty of promise over his first two years but really took that next step to elite status in 2021, serving as the anchor of the Titans’ defense.
Simmons tallied a career-high 8.5 sacks, and even when he wasn’t taking down the quarterback or harassing opposing running backs, the extra attention the 24-year-old drew opened things up for his teammates.
In all, the resurgent Titans defense, led by its pass-rush, finished with the 10th-most sacks in the NFL after landing near the bottom of the league in that category the season prior. Tennessee also sported the No. 2 run defense.
Simmons continued his impressive season in the playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, where he totaled three of the team’s nine sacks.
Simmons was a major snub for the Pro Bowl, as he wasn’t initially voted in, but he did get the nod as an alternate.
Looking ahead, Simmons is in line for a huge pay day as long as he keeps on performing at the elite level we saw last season.
Thankfully, the cash-strapped Titans have time to figure that out, as Simmons won’t hit the open market until 2024, and even then Tennessee can franchise tag him. However, we fully expect the two sides to come to an agreement before it ever gets to that point.