The Patriots are in a position this offseason to acquire as much top-tier talent as possible with their projected league-high cap space in hand. Now that they appear to have their quarterback of the future, they need to take advantage of Drake Maye's rookie contract and put the talent around him to make them a contender again, starting with free agency.
They can accomplish that by signing or trading for the players they need, as well, which might be their best course of action to accumulate the caliber of talent to put their roster over the top.
So when a guy like defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons took to Twitter/X to share his excitement over Mike Vrabel's coaching hires, he was immediately thrust into the spotlight as a prime contender to be one of the players to trade for.
Simmons would be an outstanding addition to the Patriots' defensive line as a former first-rounder and a rising talent in the league. A hole within their front seven has made it difficult to stop the run and rush the passer, making it a significant need for improvement this offseason. But some fans may have jumped the gun a bit too quickly regarding Simmons, at least according to him.
Jeffery Simmons addresses the rising narrative that he wants a trade to the Patriots
With the growing idea of Vrabel and the Patriots trading for the seemingly interested Simmons from the Titans, the defender took to his social media again to set the record straight.
He emphasized he was only congratulating his former coaches on their new endeavors, and it should not be twisted into anything more than that, even if it is what fans still want to see.
Stop trying to make stories! These guys that I’m congratulating, are guys who I spent majority of my NFL career with! Getting a promotion with the Titans or another team is a blessing! Why wouldn’t I be happy for them! So of course I’m going to congratulate them! #TitanUp
— Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94) January 25, 2025
While that response doesn't necessarily end the possibility of him being traded, especially if the right offer is made to Tennessee, it seems beyond clear that Simmons wants to keep his spot warm with his current team and not ruffle any feathers, the opposite of what allegedly happened with Vrabel stemming from his Patriots Hall of Fame induction.
Given that he received a massive contract from the Titans, it makes sense why he would want to remain where he is and not be traded, especially to a team he might not want to be.
However, trading him after June 1st would save the Titans a ton of money in cap space, so it might be something they should, at the very least, consider, especially with tweets like this being posted, and the Patriots should be the first team on the phone.