Jeffery Simmons excited to play in prime time for Bears, something Titans rarely do

Jeffery Simmons is ready for prime time.

Simmons, who was traded from the Titans to the Bears this week, will play on Monday night against the Seahawks, and then he’ll play next week on Sunday night against the Buccaneers. The Bears are one of the NFL’s marquee teams, the league puts them in marquee time slots, and that’s a big change for Simmons, who hasn’t played a prime time game since 2023.

The Titans have no prime time games on the schedule this year. They had none last year, either. They had one prime time game in 2024, but Simmons missed that one with an elbow injury. The last time Simmons played in prime time was 2023, as the Titans just haven’t been a team the NFL wants to promote.

“It’s exciting. I haven’t played in a prime time game since 2023,” Simmons said. “It’s been that long since I’ve played in prime time. I think it was Thursday night against the Steelers, was the last time I actually played in one. It’s exciting. When you’ve got a prime time game it means you’re doing something right. With this team, with last year’s success and this year, what more can you ask for? To come into this situation, to help this team win big games, meaningful football this time of the year, and also my first game being here in Chicago I get to play on Monday night. I think that’s the dream of every NFL player, to come into a situation like this. I’m so excited. I’m excited to be able to go out there Monday night.”

Simmons said he’s so accustomed to playing at noon Nashville time on Sunday and then getting home in time to watch Sunday Night Football that he sees the prime time games as special, just like the fans do.

“I play at 12 o’clock every Sunday,” Simmons said. “To be able to get home and watch the prime time games, then the Thursday night games, you’re watching.”

A huge national TV audience will be watching Simmons, something that has rarely been the case during his eight-year NFL career.