Report: John Harbaugh called Amy Adams Strunk directly in an effort to bring in Jeffery Simmons

The trade that sent defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Titans to the Bears has an interesting – and unusual – postscript.

Jonathan Jones of Athletics reports that Giants coach John Harbaugh called directly Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk in an effort to bring Simmons to New York.

The call reportedly came after Giants general manager Joe Schoen contacted Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi about Simmons, only to be told the Titans would not trade him.

As Jones notes, another general manager with knowledge of the effort said it “violates a code” among football decision-makers. A source with a key football position on one of the NFL teams called the effort “shameful.”

Despite Borgonzi’s assertion Thursday that the Titans weren’t looking to trade Simmons until the Bears came calling Wednesday night, Jones reports the Titans “braintrust” had a meeting Tuesday in which they decided to start listening to offers for Simmons.

It’s unclear whether Harbaugh called Adams before or after Bears general manager Ryan Poles offered a package that included two first-round picks. We’re told the Giants were willing to offer more than what the Bears ultimately sent the Titans. (Of course, that’s easy to say at this point.)

The whole situation highlights the value of pre-existing relationships when it comes to making deals. This is something we discussed on Friday Live PFT. In 2021, the trade that sent quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Lions to the Rams had a distinct “inside job” feel, given that Lions general manager Brad Holmes had recently been hired by the Rams.

Other teams that were reportedly interested in attempting to acquire Stafford were surprised to learn that he had been sold quietly and quickly to the Rams, who managed to get quarterback Jared Goff into the deal — and quietly attach additional compensation to get the Lions to agree to a contract that, after just two seasons, the Rams had come to regret. The result prompted former Commanders chief executive Martin Mayhew to calls all the teams in the league the following offseason to find out if their starting quarterback may be available in trade.

The ultimate question when trades like this happen is whether the angle of the relationship allows the team giving up a key player to get as much as they could. If the Giants had indeed offered more, shouldn’t the Titans have fully explored this avenue? Ultimately, Poles’ long-standing relationship with Borgonzi may have superseded efforts to get as much as possible for Simmons.