For all intents and purposes, Jeffery Simmons is clearly one of the greatest and most beloved Tennessee Titans of all time. That's what happens when you're a three-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, someone who champions the franchise at seemingly every turn, the team's official Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winner for three years running, and a pillar of the Nashville community.
Simmons was a superstar defender and a leader on and off the field. After a blockbuster trade on Thursday, the veteran defensive tackle will be the Chicago Bears' defensive centerpiece as they try to win Super Bowls with Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson. But the Titans and their fans will clearly treasure Simmons' time in Nashville forever. He's a franchise legend.
In a credit to the Titans' defense, they paid a worthy tribute to the since-traded Simmons as they took on the Cincinnati Bengals on the road on Sunday. Most of the Titans' defenders wore red sleeves, a clear homage to Simmons' trademark full red-sleeve look as the dominant spear of their defense for years. Here's another photo of Titans defenders honoring Simmons' time with the organization by wearing red sleeves just like him:
As Simmons moves into a period of his career where he gets to compete for Lombardi Trophies in Chicago, I'm sure seeing a unified gesture like this from his old team will make him really happy. It's a testament to the tremendous impact he had on the Titans, their fans, and the Nashville community.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Many Titans defenders wore red sleeves vs. the Bengals for an obvious reason
