John Harbaugh pulled a bold move in his pursuit of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
The New York Giants head coach called Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk directly in an attempt to trade for Simmons before he was dealt to the Chicago Bears, sources told The Athletic's Jonathan Jones.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen had previously reached out to Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi, who told Schoen that Tennessee wouldn't trade Simmons. That reportedly led Harbaugh to contact Strunk himself in an unconventional trade-talk maneuver. Strunk also apparently said that the team wasn't interested in moving its best defensive player.
However, the Titans held a meeting after falling to 1-6 and decided to listen to offers for Simmons. Tennessee traded him to the Bears this week in exchange for a package that included two first-round picks.
The Giants, who lead the NFC East at 4-2-1, have been looking for help at running back and defensive tackle ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline, according to Jones.
New York traded three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in April.
