Star Defender Expresses Patriots Trade Interest After Mike Vrabel Hiring

The Patriots are already reaping the benefits of hiring Mike Vrabel as head coach, and one star player sounds interested in joining New England this offseason.

All-Pro DT Jeffery Simmons, who played for Vrabel in Tennessee, was caught on social media entertaining the idea of being traded to the Patriots. He still has three years left on his $94 million contract extension but with the Titans staring at a long rebuild, he could be dealt elsewhere.

Not only would reuniting with Simmons give Vrabel a stalwart on the defensive line, it'd help accelerate New England's rebuilding efforts and give the Patriots the flexibility to pursue offensive starters in the draft to support Drake Maye.

All-Pro Titans DT Jeffery Simmons Seemingly Interested in Patriots Trade

A user on X (formerly known as Twitter) posted that the Patriots should start the Mike Vrabel era by acquiring Simmons. The two-time Pro Bowler "liked" the post, seemingly indicating his willingness to change teams.

After making the playoffs with Vrabel early in his career, Simmons has been stuck on a bad team with little to show for his efforts. He ranked as the 10th-best interior defensive lineman out of 219 qualified players at Pro Football Focus and at only 27 years old, he's still in the prime of his career.

Since he's under contract, a trade is the only way to facilitate a move. Unless the Patriots make an overwhelming offer, the Titans have all of the leverage. Perhaps a second-round pick could get the job done, but Simmons would likely need to force Tennessee's hand to get out.

Originally a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Simmons has become one of the league's most dominant interior defenders. Despite the Titans' struggles, he still had a career-high 76 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Considering how bad the Patriots defense was, ranking 19th in opponent yards per play (5.5), getting someone like Simmons could change the unit's identity overnight.

Where there's smoke, there's often fire. At least in this case, it looks like Simmons is starting to apply some pressure to land on a new team. With Vrabel already in tow, expect more moves to be on the horizon as New England builds for the future.

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