The trade that sent defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Titans to the Bears has an interesting — and unusual — postscript.

Jonathan Jones of The Athletic reports that Giants coach John Harbaugh directly called Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk in an effort to get Simmons to New York.

The call reportedly came after Giants G.M. Joe Schoen had contacted Titans G.M. Mike Borgonzi about Simmons, only to be told that the Titans weren’t trading him.

As Jones notes, another G.M. who learned about the effort said it “violates a code” among football’s decision-makers. One source in a key football position with one of the NFL’s teams dubbed the effort “shameful.”

Despite Borgonzi’s claim from Thursday that the Titans weren’t looking to trade Simmons until the Bears called on Wednesday night, Jones reports that the Titans’ “braintrust” had a meeting on Tuesday during which they decided to start listening to offers for Simmons.

It’s unclear whether Harbaugh made the call to Adams before or after Bears G.M. Ryan Poles offered a package that included a pair of first-round picks. We’re told the Giants were willing to offer more than what the Bears ultimately sent to the Titans. (Of course, that’s easy to say at this point.)

The entire situation underscores the value of pre-existing relationships when it comes to getting deals done. It was a point we discussed on Friday’s PFT Live. In 2021, the trade that sent quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Lions to the Rams had a distinct “inside job” feel to it, given that Lions G.M. Brad Holmes had recently been hired from the Rams.

Other teams that would have been interested in attempting to acquire Stafford were surprised to learn that he had been quietly and quickly dealt to the Rams, who were able to tuck quarterback Jared Goff into the deal — and to discreetly attach extra compensation to get the Lions to take on a contract that, after only two seasons, the Rams had come to regret. The outcome prompted former Commanders G.M. Martin Mayhew to call every team in the league the following offseason to inquire as to whether their starting quarterback may be available in trade.

The ultimate question, when trades like this happen, is whether the relationship angle results in the team that gives up a key player getting as much as it could. If the Giants would have indeed offered more, shouldn’t the Titans have fully explored that avenue? Ultimately, the longstanding relationship between Poles and Borgonzi may have superseded the effort to get as much as possible for Simmons.