Harbaugh reached out on Simmons trade before Bears won bid
Giants coach John Harbaugh said he called Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk about Jeffery Simmons before Chicago won him in a trade for first-round picks.
Harbaugh's call to Nashville
Harbaugh reached out on Simmons trade before the Tennessee Titans ever sent Jeffery Simmons to Chicago, New York Giants coach John Harbaugh said Monday. Harbaugh told reporters he called and left a voice message for Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk, trying to get the Giants into the bidding on the star defensive lineman. The Bears got there first, sending the Titans multiple first-round picks for Simmons on Thursday.
Harbaugh didn't hide the call. 'I did, I did,' he said. 'I left a message because you're turning over every stone.' He joked about the situation too, asking reporters if there's a song called 'Call Me,' guessing at Carly Rae Jepsen or Blondie before moving on.
He also made clear the Giants don't follow any unwritten rule about who can call who during trade season. 'We're not part of any secret society oath,' Harbaugh said. 'We didn't get memo'd on that.' He said Giants staff at every level make calls, because that's how information and trades move in this league.
Why Simmons made sense
The interior of the Giants' defensive line is a need, which is why Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen looked at Simmons before Chicago's offer landed. Harbaugh orbits more at the ownership level than the general manager level, which is part of why he was the one dialing Amy Adams Strunk directly instead of going through a front office channel.
Veteran tackle Andrew Thomas said he's fine with it. 'It's a players' league,' Thomas said. 'Anytime you have an opportunity to acquire whoever the player may be,' he said. He added that the front office gets paid to make those calls, and that the goal is simply to win games.
Jonathan Taylor and the backfield hole
Simmons wasn't the only name Harbaugh and the Giants checked on. Sources told ESPN the team also has interest in Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, a move expected to cost multiple high picks as well. Running back has turned into a real need in New York. The Giants flip-flopped starters over the past month, and Monday Cam Skattebo was working through a hamstring issue on the side at practice while Tyrone Tracy Jr., also dealing with a hamstring injury, was recently placed on injured reserve.
What happens next
Schoen said last week any move has to work for both the short term and the long term, and Harbaugh repeated that line Monday. 'You want to have a short-term and a long-term win,' he said, speaking to what it takes to spend draft capital on a deal. The Giants are working against the Nov. 10 trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET, and Harbaugh said adding a significant player before then is 'always, always' the goal. Whether that ends up being a lineman, a running back, or someone else entirely, Harbaugh made it clear the Giants plan on calling anybody who'll pick up the phone between now and then.
Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.