The Kansas City Chiefs have the option of using the franchise tag on Chris Jones this offseason, but there is one big reason they are unlikely to go that route with the veteran defensive lineman.
While Jones is set to become a free agent next month, the Chiefs recently picked up an option on his contract that allowed them to retain the right to franchise tag the 29-year-old. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Sunday that the team is unlikely to do that, however.
In most cases, the value of the franchise tag is determined by averaging the top five salaries league-wide at the player’s position. That figure would be just under $20 million for Jones, but his situation is unique since his salary cap hit for 2023 was significantly more than that. Because Jones’ cap number was higher, his franchise tag figure is calculated by taking 120% of his previous year’s cap number, which works out to roughly $32 million.
That is why the Chiefs probably will not tag Jones.
Jones was once again the anchor of Kansas City’s defense this season. He had 10.5 sacks in 16 games after tying a career high with 15.5 in 2022. He sounded extremely confident in what the future holds for him when he spoke at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade earlier this week.
Jones held out last offseason before agreeing to a reworked contract for 2023. He will undoubtedly want to become one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in football, so negotiating a long-term deal might be easier said than done.
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