How Ran Carthon laid down the law with new Jeffery Simmons contract
The Tennessee Titans signed defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to four-year contract extension last week, keeping him under team control through the 2027 season. Prior to reaching that agreement, Simmons and his agent, Paul DeRousselle, were actually seeking a shorter deal. But Titans GM Ran Carthon was having none of it, and after shutting down negotiations for […]
The Tennessee Titans signed defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to four-year contract extension last week, keeping him under team control through the 2027 season.
Prior to reaching that agreement, Simmons and his agent, Paul DeRousselle, were actually seeking a shorter deal. But Titans GM Ran Carthon was having none of it, and after shutting down negotiations for a three-year contract, he locked Simmons' up for the long haul.
DeRousselle discussed this detail in a recent interview with 102.5 The Game.
“I told Ran [Carthon] three years but he said ‘hell nah,’” DeRousselle said in his interview.
You'd have to assume that Simmons' camp was seeking a shorter deal because it would, in theory, make him a candidate for another big extension sooner. But the Titans want contract control and stability. Simmons agreeing to the four-year extension gives him the same contract timeline as the incoming draft class will have.
That's important given the presumed roster turnover that will be coming over the next few years.
When DeRousselle appeared on 104.5 The Zone earlier this week, we learned about how Carthon was constantly in contact with Simmons' team. DeRousselle told Blaine and Mickey that there was never more than two days between his phone calls with Ran and that the Titans submitted their first offer before the Pro Bowl.
It's clear that Carthon knew what he wanted in this deal, and he wasted no time in getting it.
Tennessee's new General Manager laid the law down when it came to a three-year contract, but he never sent DeRousselle an offer that could be taken as disrespectful to Simmons.
The value Jeffery Simmons will bring to the Titans' defense over the next five years is going to be well worth the investment the franchise is making, but his presence is even more valuable when it's in Nashville for the extra season.
