The Associated Press unveiled its 2025 NFL All-Pro Team on Saturday with former Mississippi State and current Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons being included on the prestigious list.
Simmons, who played for Mississippi State from 2016-18 and just wrapped up his seventh professional season, finished 2025-26 with a team-high 11 sacks – the most ever by a Titans defensive tackle – and 67 total tackles. He forced three fumbles and batted down three passes along the way. It’s the first time Simmons has earned a first-team All-Pro honor from the AP after landing on the second team in 2021 and 2022.
“Aw man. I appreciate that,” an emotion Simmons told AP’s Rob Maadi upon finding out. “I’m going to try not to cry here. … I’m at a loss for words. I made a commitment this offseason where it just wasn’t the on-the-field stuff for me. It was being consistent and changing my mindset off the field, and it paid off. It paid off, man.”
.@GrindSimmons94 got emotional learning he had earned @AP First-Team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career from @RobMaaddi pic.twitter.com/hTzM4m4sRU
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) January 10, 2026
The latest honor for Simmons comes after the former Bulldog was named a Pro Bowler for the fourth time in his career and a finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. The latter, named after Mississippi native and former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, celebrates the player who has made the biggest impact both on and off the field and will be announced Feb. 5.
Simmons’ off-the-field resume is just as impressive as his on-the-field performance this season. He’s been at the forefront of multiple charitable endeavors, including his foundation aimed at inspiring youth through sport and partnering with Fund Recovery and Research United to locate naloxone vending machines in Mississippi and Tennessee to fight drug overdoses.
The full 2025 AP NFL All-Pro Team can be found here.