SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It only took one FaceTime call for Jeffery Simmons to buy in.
While the rest of the league was analyzing the X’s and O’s of the Tennessee Titans’ decision to hire Robert Saleh as their new head coach last Thursday, the franchise’s cornerstone defender was already sold. The selling point wasn’t a scheme or a coverage disguise—it was an attitude.
“We’re going to talk a little sh*t,” Saleh told Simmons.
For Simmons, who just wrapped up a career-year with a franchise-record 11 sacks, that was music to his ears.
Speaking from the Pro Bowl in the Bay Area, Simmons couldn’t hide his grin when discussing his new boss. The connection was immediate, sparked by a late-night call from GM Mike Borgonzi that Simmons initially missed at 11:15 p.m.
“I called Mike back, and he was standing right there with Coach Saleh,” Simmons said. “It was cool to get that FaceTime… He was telling me his vision and I believed in him.”
That vision? A return to the suffocating, high-energy defense Saleh made famous during his stints as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator.
“Everything Coach Saleh has said, that’s how I like to play the game,” Simmons explained. “I like to play fast and violent, and everybody knows I am probably one of the biggest smack-talkers in the league. So, me and coach are going to get along just fine.”
Simmons isn’t just talking; he’s coming off the most dominant season of his seven-year career. In 2025, he was a one-man wrecking crew in the trenches:
Simmons and Aaron Donald (2021) are now the only defensive tackles in the last decade to post at least 10 sacks, 16 TFLs, and 3 forced fumbles in a single season. Yet, despite the individual accolades, Simmons remains hungry for the one thing he didn’t get this year: wins.
The optimism in Tennessee stems from Saleh’s track record. Fresh off his 21st NFL season—and a successful second run leading the 49ers’ defense—Saleh brings instant credibility. His units have finished in the top five in total defense in five of his nine seasons as a coordinator or head coach.
“You watch tape and see how excited his defense is, and you see the energy that he brings on the sideline. I am looking forward to that.” — Jeffery Simmons, Titans DT
Simmons believes this energy is exactly what a young Titans roster needs to pivot from a rebuilding phase to contention. “I think the culture change will be good for us,” he noted. “We have a young football team… and with Saleh coming in, with his style of coaching, I think it will be great for us.”
With the coaching hire finalized and the Pro Bowl festivities underway, the focus shifts to the offseason program. Simmons, now a four-time Pro Bowler, has made it clear he isn’t satisfied with personal records or “snubs” (brushing off his exclusion from the DPOY finalists, likely won by Myles Garrett).
His eyes are locked on turning Saleh’s “violent” philosophy into wins.
“My goal moving forward is just to keep working,” Simmons said. “And help the Tennessee Titans win more football games.”
