The Tennessee Titans are open to dealing ahead of the NFL trade deadline, but sources told ESPN on Saturday that they are unwilling to part with their most important players -- rookie quarterback Cam Ward and star defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons.
Teams have been monitoring the last-place Titans (1-6), who fired head coach Brian Callahan earlier this month and named Mike McCoy as his interim replacement.
The Titans are willing to listen to trade offers on players such as tight end Chig Okonkwo, cornerback Roger McCreary and outside linebacker Arden Key, sources told ESPN.
But Ward, the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, and Simmons, a three-time Pro Bowler, are off limits, according to sources.
Simmons, 28, is one of the few players remaining from the Titans teams that won back-to-back AFC South titles in 2020 and 2021. He has two years remaining on the four-year, $94 million extension he signed in 2023.
Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson recently referred to Simmons, who will not play Sunday against the Colts because of a hamstring injury, as "our best player."
"You can't replace Jeff Simmons," Wilson said. "He's played as a best three technique as anyone in the National Football League this year."
Chad Brinker, who is in his first season as the Titans' president of team operations, has publicly stated that he wants Tennessee to have at least 12 picks in the top 100 over the next three drafts.
But with the Nov. 4 trade deadline looming, McCoy said earlier this week that Tennessee's focus remains on the Colts.
"We're not worrying about down the road," McCoy said. "It's about this week. That's the No. 1 thing. Everything else will take care of itself down the road, but ... our focus right now is going to Indy and finding a way to win the game."
ESPN's Turron Davenport contributed to this report.
