Blockbuster trades always have some pretty crazy stories behind them. It merely takes time for the full details to come out. The Chicago Bears‘ acquisition of Jeffery Simmons was aided by a relationship between general manager Ryan Poles and Tennessee Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi that began 17 years ago as young assistants at Boston College. That connection and the trust that came with it are what helped lay the groundwork for the deal. It’s a very cool, if unoriginal story. However, it appears New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh decided to add even more drama to the experience.
Several months ago, the Giants traded star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for a 1st round pick. It appears the organization has been regretting that decision ever since. Lawrence is dominating in Cincinnati, while the Giants’ defense has struggled to keep opponents out of the end zone or stop the run. Harbaugh apparently saw a way out of that misfire by securing Simmons. Rather than let GM Joe Schoen do his thing by engaging the Titans on the idea, Harbaugh took it upon himself to force the issue, according to Jonathan Jones of The Athletic.
John Harbaugh called Tennessee’s owner directly.
On Monday night, Jeffery Simmons will make his debut with the Chicago Bears after the blockbuster deal that sent the star Tennessee Titans defensive tackle to Chicago in exchange for two first-round picks. But if John Harbaugh had his way, Simmons would be enjoying a bye week with the New York Giants right now.
Multiple sources tell The Athletic the Giants head coach called Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk directly in an attempt to trade for the All-Pro defensive tackle, breaking with traditional NFL trade-talk norms…
…General manager Joe Schoen had previously reached out to Titans GM Mike Borgonzi, who told Schoen and other inquiring teams that they wouldn’t trade Simmons.
Harbaugh then opted to call Strunk, the Titans’ controlling owner, in an attempt to get Simmons. Harbaugh got the same message from Strunk, who has empowered Borgonzi to make football decisions for the franchise.
One GM who became aware of the call said it violates a code amongst primary football decision-makers, that they will only deal with each other.
That is a pretty underhanded move.
The NFL, like any other professional sports league, is supposed to adhere to a certain way of doing business. The people in charge of football decisions speak with others who make football decisions and work out deals. It’s been that way since major sports became a thing. It is the most ethical way of doing business. The only times owners get involved are when they inject themselves directly. That is their prerogative. However, one thing you never do is try to pull them into negotiations. That is like complaining to Mom when Dad says no dessert after dinner. It’s highly disrespectful.
John Harbaugh has always been a fantastic coach. He hasn’t been around this long by accident. Still, the man does have a bit of a reputation for trying to circumvent rules. He held padded practices during non-padded minicamps in 2016 in clear violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. He’s exploited the NFL rulebook with intentional penalties to bleed the clock at the end of games. The man clearly lacks respect for the spirit of the game. Trying to go over the heads of the guys who told him no is the most blatant example yet.
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In the end, justice won out.
Adam-Sistrunk recognized immediately what Harbaugh was trying to do and shut him down. Borgonzi, intentionally or not, decided to make Harbaugh’s life even harder by sending Simmons to another NFC contender. Sometimes the football gods don’t reward you for bad behavior. There would be no rescuing the Giants from their bad decision to trade Lawrence. Tennessee at least had good reasons to deal Simmons. The offer was fair and would help kickstart a badly needed rebuild.
Harbaugh thought he could live without Lawrence, quickly realized he couldn’t, and tried to undo his mistake. Knowing his team’s grip on the NFC East is tenuous at best, he decided the rules don’t apply to him and tried to exploit his relationship with another team’s owner. Now his team has no Simmons, and his tactics are out in the open, leaving his reputation tarnished.
