John Harbaugh wants to see the Giants upgraded, even if he has to do the upgrading himself.
In a break from tradition, the Giants head coach himself called Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk to attempt to coax a trade for Jeffery Simmons, according to The Athletic.
Exactly when the call was made is not clear.
The report states that Giants general manager Joe Schoen had previously talked with Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi, who told the Giants (and others) that they would not trade their star defensive tackle.
Not taking the general manager’s no for an answer, Harbaugh reportedly went one step higher and called Strunk, who delivered the same message.
That message changed this week, when the 1-6 Titans held a meeting, according to the report, during which they decided to begin listening to offers for the 29-year-old All-Pro.
The Bears won the sweepstakes by sending 2027 and 2028 first-round picks, plus a 2027 fourth-rounder, to the Titans for Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
The first-place Giants did not land the help they are eyeing before the Nov. 10 trade deadline and are believed to be still searching, including expressing interest in Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
Indianapolis has been the most active seller thus far, sending away offensive lineman Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks and defensive lineman DeForest Buckner to the 49ers.
The Giants (4-2-1) are in their bye week and are two games ahead of the Cowboys (3-4) in the loss column ahead of Dallas’ clash Sunday against lowly Arizona.
The Eagles (2-5) and Commanders (1-4-1) meet on “Sunday Night Football” and the loser may need to turn to the 2027 season.
The Giants needing interior defensive line help comes after the team made the franchise-altering decision to trade Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
They received the No. 10 pick in return, which they used to select offensive lineman Sisi Mauigoa.
