Tennessee Titans DT Jeffery Simmons not thrilled to see Denico Autry signing with Texans

All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, the centerpiece of the Tennessee Titans' defense, isn't pleased with the circumstances that led to Denico Autry landing with the rival Houston Texans on Monday.

Autry reportedly has agreed to a two-year contract with the Texans on the first day of the NFL's legal free agent negotiation window, though contracts cannot be signed until Wednesday. The defensive end led the Titans in sacks each of the past two years and posted eight or more sacks in each of his three seasons with the Titans. But now he's headed elsewhere in the AFC South, and Simmons isn't stoked.

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"No way we let Nico go to the Texans..." Simmons posted on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, with a pair of facepalming emojis.

Simmons is the Titans' highest-paid player, due to make $94 million in the next four years. Beyond Simmons, though, the team doesn't have many guarantees on the defensive front. Edge defenders Harold Landry and Arden Key are under contract for 2024, but with a new defensive coordinator installing his scheme, it's unclear what roles those players will have at defensive end and outside linebacker.

Defensive tackles who contributed for the Titans down the stretch last season such as Kyle Peko, Marlon Davidson and Jaleel Johnson are free agents.

In addition to Autry, the Titans also lost starting cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting to free agency. Murphy-Bunting has agreed to a deal with the Arizona Cardinals.

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Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick atnsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.