The 2026 NFL trade deadline is November 10, and many are proposing big-time moves for the Patriots before it's too late. Although they have almost no cap space for anything significant, they can still make moves that free up cash, and a team like the Patriots might need to do that.
Now that their season appears back on track, even if they're coming off a Week 7 loss to the Bears, the roster still has plenty of holes to address via trade. One of the most obvious is their pass rush, with Harold Landry's 2026 future unclear and inconsistent performances from Gabe Jacas and Elijah Ponder.
That means Mike Vrabel could use his connections with the Titans to pursue a blockbuster trade for Jeffery Simmons, one of the league's most disruptive defensive tackles.
Vrabel drafted the 29-year-old in his second season as the Titans' head coach, and since he was fired three years ago, Simmons has remained complimentary of him, even hinting that he wants to play for him again, which should prompt Vrabel to call about his availability.
If the Titans are sellers at the trade deadline, the Patriots know who to call about
While discussing blockbuster trades the Patriots could pursue by the deadline, no matter how unlikely, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer named Simmons as a potential target because of his connection to Vrabel.
"The Titans are another team. Mike Vrabel loves Jeffery Simmons. Is that your pie-in-the-sky type of swing?"
Calling it a "pie in the sky" type of swing would be an understatement.
The Titans have made it clear in the past that they have no plans to trade the 4-time Pro Bowler, even giving him a three-year, $105.8 million contract extension this past summer. That doesn't make him officially off limits, but it suggests they want to keep him and will only move him if an offer blows them away.
The Patriots might be willing to make such an offer, mostly because of Vrabel's connection to Simmons, but the cost might rule them out before they decide. The Titans will almost certainly want a high-round pick, likely a first-rounder, and the Patriots will almost certainly be unwilling to give it up.
They already sent a 2028 first-round pick to the Eagles for A.J. Brown, and it's believed they pushed it out to 2028 because the 2027 draft class is already highly regarded.
So that might be reason enough to believe a trade for Simmons is more unrealistic than almost any other move, which is unfortunate for a team that needs help on its defensive line and pass rush. That is even more apparent after seeing Christian Barmore and Milton Williams underperform this past week and not make the same impact they did last year.
Pairing them with Simmons would be massive and bring the production the defensive line currently lacks. It's just a matter of whether Vrabel is willing to give up everything, plus the kitchen sink, to get Simmons in the door, or whether he's willing to wait it out, go for someone else in a trade, or hold off until next year's free agency.
We will find out soon, since the trade deadline is less than 3 weeks away.
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