Last Thursday, Montez Sweat woke up to a text message from an old friend that would drastically change the makeup of the 2026 Bears.

Sweat clicked the notification from All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons — his former running mate at Mississippi State — that contained only an eyes emoji.

He figured that meant Simmons was on the move from Tennessee, where he had spent the past eight years following the 2019 draft, when both Bulldogs were first-round selections. Sweat knew Simmons deserved and wanted to be on a winning team. Still, Sweat couldn't fathom the possibility of competing alongside Simmons again.

That was until a second text came through.

"He told me he was on the way," Sweat told ChicagoBears.com. "I was excited. I knew what he brings to a football team, an organization and a D-line.

"He is a natural challenger, just with the way he goes about his business."

By the time Sweat left his house later that morning to go work out at Halas Hall, the news had broken. General manager Ryan Poles had dealt two first-round picks to the Titans in exchange for not only one of the best defensive tackles in the game, but a top-notch leader and multiplier.

The following morning, when Sweat walked into the locker room, the reunion became real. Simmons' new locker was placed to the left of Sweat's, the shiny new No. 99 nameplate right next to No. 98 — an ironic visual, given Simmons wore No. 98 his entire time in Tennessee.

"I was willing to give him the 98 just because he had it for longer than me," Sweat said. "I didn't know if he wanted to keep it or not, but I was ready to give it up. He wanted 99 to start a new chapter, so I was cool with that too."

Simmons spent a few hours at Halas Hall after arriving last Thursday night, meeting with staff and diving into the playbook, but on Friday, Sweat helped him acclimate and start learning the ins and outs of how the Bears operate.

If anyone understood the whirlwind of emotions Simmons was feeling after unexpectedly changing teams midseason, it was Sweat. Almost three years ago to the day, the Bears acquired Sweat in a trade with Washington, where the defensive end spent the first five years of his NFL career.

Sweat also took Simmons' arrival as an opportunity to return a favor. In 2017, when Sweat transferred to Mississippi State after stops at Michigan State (2014-15) and Copiah-Lincoln Community College (2016), Simmons, although a year younger, was entering his second season with the Bulldogs.

"When I got to Starkville, he introduced me to the standard in which they did things," Sweat said. "He showed me their culture.

"It's cool to have the chance to now do that for him."

Between 2017-18, Sweat and Simmons were one of the most dominant pass-rushing duos in the country, combining for 29 sacks and 59.5 tackles for loss and both earning First-Team All-American honors in 2018.

While the pair were in close proximity on the field, it didn't take long for them to form a sincere bond off the field.

"When I first got to Mississippi State, I just saw a hard worker, and a dude that was funny," Sweat said. "And he just demanded greatness from everybody who was around him. It was a mutual respect thing at first.

"We just respected each other's game, so you gravitate to people like that. And as time went on, we built chemistry, on the field and off."

Joining forces at the collegiate level, although by chance, likely altered both players' career paths. Their individual and team successes garnered national attention and, in turn, boosted their draft stock – Simmons was picked No. 19 overall and Sweat was chosen No. 26 overall.

While the pair had kept in contact over the years, hanging out during the offseason or catching up when their teams crossed paths, neither anticipated a reunion at the NFL level, especially not one of this magnitude.

When Simmons stepped onto the field in Seattle Monday night, rocking his famous bright sleeves – now orange instead of red – and lined up beside Sweat, the eight years that had passed felt more like eight weeks.

Over the next 60 minutes, that familiar feeling translated into production and disruption.

"It definitely felt nostalgic," Sweat said. "In college, he would make a play, and I would make a play, and then we just kind of feed off each other's energy.

"That is definitely how it felt Monday night."

Against the Seahawks, Sweat arguably had his best game of the season — tallying three quarterback hits and a sack, with two more sacks negated by penalties. Simmons tied for a team-high six tackles, including two tackles-for loss, as well as a sack and a pass breakup.

Sweat was neither shocked by his own production nor by Simmons', but he was pleasantly surprised how quickly the rest of the Bears defense fed off the energy their newest teammate brought. As a unit, the defense totaled three, six quarterback hits and five tackles for loss while limiting the defending Super Bowl champions to just three points in their first five possessions and allowing just one third-down conversion on 11 attempts.

"I already knew what he was bringing to the table," Sweat said, "so when he started making plays, it was just like, 'yeah, I knew he was gonna do that.'

"The cool thing was just to see how everybody else leveled their game up around him, which I didn't think was going to start to happen so early. But it obviously showed up."

During the postgame celebration, Sweat witnessed Simmons experience some "firsts" as a Chicago Bear: receiving a game ball from Ben Johnson, seeing the coach's new Stanky Legg celebration, and, of course, the iconic "Good, Better, Best" chant.

Despite being a seasoned veteran, Simmons wasn't quite ready for that. During the chant, Sweat can be seen yelling the chant while shaking a slightly confused Simmons.

"That was just another example of me just showing him the way around here, showing him our way," Sweat said.

"I know he didn't know the chant, so I was just yelling it in his ear. He got it down pretty good. He told me he watched the video after the game, so he's ready for the next one."

Simmons will make his Soldier Field debut as a Bear this weekend, once again on a national stage as Buccaneers come to Chicago for Sunday Night Football. While the win in Seattle was certainly one to celebrate for myriad reasons, the Bears are now focused on Tampa Bay.

Now, the pair's focus shifts to stacking performances like the one on Monday night, continuing to elevate the defensive line and helping the Bears extend their winning streak. Sweat knows that won't be an issue for the two pass-rushers – Simmons is already finding ways to push his friend, and vice versa.

They are also aware that, like in college, their pairing once again has the opportunity to be game-changing not just for their own futures this time, but for the 2026 Chicago Bears.

"I'm just happy to have him here," Sweat said.