SANTA CLARA — Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons sat down with me following joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, touching on everything from his approach to preseason reps to his desire to retire as a Titan. The All-Pro defensive tackle, now entering his eighth NFL season, delivered the kind of candid, reflective conversation that revealed where his head is at as this franchise tries to turn the page.

Simmons and the Titans traveled to Levi’s Stadium for joint training camp practices with the 49ers ahead of Thursday’s preseason opener. The work, by Simmons’ account, was productive.

Simmons is embracing preseason reps for the first time in years

“Of course some plays that you wish you could get back, but that’s the reason why we do these type of practices,” Simmons said of Tuesday’s session. 

“You learn, especially against a team that haven’t saw training camp. I think that’s the benefits of joint practices. You know, sometimes it can get a little rowdy with the chippiness and fighting and here and there pushing and shoving. But for the most part, I think we got some great work in with these guys.”

Simmons acknowledged that he hasn’t played in a preseason game in five or six years. He’s expected to suit up Thursday, and while his initial reaction was surprise, he understands the necessity given the installation of a new defensive scheme under coach Robert Saleh’s staff.

“It’s not like when I first heard it, yeah, it was kind of like a whoa,” Simmons said. “But at the same time, I mean, I know I need to work. I know I need to, especially with this new defense.”

That willingness to embrace preseason reps speaks to a broader shift in Simmons’ approach. He talked openly about the challenge of playing with controlled emotion, referencing a moment last week when Saleh threw him out of practice for throwing a punch.

“Go out there and play with hella emotion, but when the whistle blow or when it’s time to get back to the huddle, get back to the huddle. Don’t hurt the football team. So that’s our number one team key, is protect the team.”

“Do I want to throw a punch? No, but… I heard today, JC (Latham) had one of his best practices (against the 49ers). Like he out there mauling people. That’s what I want. I want to push him. I want to push not just him, but my teammates to be the best when it’s time to go against the other colors.”

He added that Saleh’s decision to eject him from practice last week was the right call.

“Technically that would be hurting the football team if I throw a punch in the game. So I respect it, and it’s one of the things that just helped me as a football player to continue to grow.”

The energy in Nashville ‘just feel different’

Simmons, along with safety Amani Hooker, stands as the longest-tenured player on Tennessee’s roster. He reflected on how much has changed since both arrived, noting that he recently saw Hooker post a photo of his family on Instagram and couldn’t help but marvel at how far they’ve come.

That tenure has given Simmons a perspective few others on this team possess, and he was emphatic that the current iteration of the Titans feels different from the teams that went 3-14 in back-to-back seasons.

“The energy just feel different,” Simmons said. “It’s totally different, like the energy from Saleh. And I’m not, you know, I’ve been there, you know, you guys been around me long enough. I don’t like to compare (to Mike Vrabel or Brian Callahan). But this year I just feel like the pieces we have, the pieces we have on defense, and you know, quite honestly, man, we go out and get (John Franklin-Myers)., we go get Jermaine (Johnson), go get a guy who people probably not talking about a lot, but Jake Martin. Like, to go get them type of guys to beef up our defensive front, because the game is won up front.”

Simmons also praised the offensive side of the ball, singling out a young receiver for his physicality and competitive edge.

“I went up to Elic (Ayomanor), like, Elic, I love it, bro,” Simmons said. “Keep that fire. I told him, I said, bro, you just like me. Sometimes it’s hard to pull off, like you blocking people out of bounds. But I tell him, keep that going because them other young guys see that.”

Simmons never wanted to leave Tennessee

Perhaps the most revealing portion of our conversation came when Simmons addressed his contract situation and whether he ever considered leaving Nashville during the franchise’s prolonged losing stretch. The Titans haven’t made the playoffs in four consecutive seasons. Former teammates Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown, Kevin Byard, and Harold Landry have all found success elsewhere.

A weaker person might have let that eat at them. Simmons said it never reached that point.

“It never was to leave Tennessee,” Simmons said. “My thing was, I’m going to (Mike) Borgonzi, I’m talking to the guys in the building, and I’m like, what’s the vision? And that’s where I remember telling you guys, it’s my job to handle my job and trust them with their vision.”

“We saw what (Borgonzi) was doing with that vision, and we saw what they brought in. So I would never say I got to a point where it’s like, man, I need to get the heck out of Tennessee because I know how we could get back to that. I’ve been there before. I was a young buck my first year, rookie year, made it to the AFC Championship. But I know that feeling, and I know what it takes to watch guys like Jurrell Casey, Wesley Woodyard, them guys, and I saw how they led the football team. I know for a fact I have that in me to be able to lead a football team the way they did it and got to that point.”

He pointed to the welcome he received from Titans’ season ticket holders when he was drafted as a moment that still gives him chills. That connection to the fanbase and the city has anchored him through the franchise’s lowest points.

“I keep telling, when I walked into that season ticket holder event that they had when I got drafted here, I still get chills of the welcome that I got when I got to Tennessee,” Simmons said. “My first two years, I knew what it felt like. And today I know what it felt like, and I knew that I got a real good feeling that we could get back to that because we got the pieces and I feel like we really got the head of the snake with Coach Saleh.”

For a franchise desperate for stability, Simmons’ commitment carries weight. 

His desire to retire as a Titan, combined with his willingness to hold himself and his teammates accountable, gives Tennessee the foundational leadership it has lacked in recent years. The Titans open their preseason slate Thursday against the 49ers.