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Will Family Ties Split Up Simmons, Titans?

The Pro Bowl defensive tackle is relying heavily on input from an uncle with NFL experience as he moves into an important -- and likely lucrative -- stage of his career.

NASHVILLE – The Best That Never Was, one of the earliest (and best) of ESPN’s 30 For 30 documentary series, tells the story of Marcus Dupree, a prodigious talent out of Philadelphia, Miss. who – among other things – was at the center of one of the early 1980s’ most heated college football recruiting battles.

At one point in the film, former Texas coach Fred Akers is asked: “I don’t know if you remember Uncle Curlee?” in reference to Curlee Connors, Dupree’s uncle who became recognized as the central figure in his recruitment.

Akers’ response? “There’s always an uncle, isn’t there?”

Forty years later, they’re not limited to college football. Just ask the Tennessee Titans.

Jason Hatcher, uncle to Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons and a former NFL player in his own right, suddenly is a prominent presence in an emerging offseason storyline for the two-time AFC South champions.

A rare talent in his own right who also is from Mississippi – Noxubee County, in this case – Simmons currently is trying to sort out his NFL future. He pronounced during a press conference Wednesday that Hatcher heads an advisory team that currently is guiding all matters related to his career, including the selection of an agent who will negotiate – or has begun to negotiate (it was not clear) – Simmons’ next contract.

The 2019 first-round pick is still under the Titans’ control this season and next. However, Simmons’ inability or unwillingness to take part in practices during this week’s mandatory minicamp (everyone agrees that he is not injured) suggests that he was reluctant to risk injury at this time, which means he expects a big payday in the not-too-distant future. Not that he was willing to say so.

“One of the guys that has been around my whole life is my uncle, Jason Hatcher,” Simmons said. “He’s kind of got a team around him as well that he built that we both met with.

“… My focus is not on my contract. That’s why I’ve got a team around me. They can focus on all the contract talk and whatever it may be – if it is contract talks.”

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) and Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) during the first half at Nissan Stadium.
Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (98) takes the field during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at Nissan Stadium.