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Kansas City fans hear the anxious tick, tick of a deadline clock. But the Chiefs believe they’ll get a new deal done for big Chris Jones before training camp starts later this month.
That’s according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, who provided a status update on Jones, the top defender for the defending Super Bowl champions.
“The Chiefs would like to give him that long-term extension,” Darlington reported Tuesday. “I’m told that they are still optimistic that this will get done — likely before training camp — for Chris Jones. And this is significant for a number of reasons, not just the contract itself. The Chiefs right now are just barely below the salary cap, one of the highest salary caps right now in the league. If they can do that deal with Jones, they can ultimately bring this number down.”
Chiefs management is looking to give Jones more money while massaging the finances to cut down on the 2023 cap number. Kansas City currently is about $1 million under the cap. The Chiefs did a similar deal with Patrick Mahomes three years ago to give them some wiggle room with the cap. And if Kansas City can get the number down, maybe the Chiefs take another run at free agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The team currently can’t afford the former Cardinal.
Meanwhile, Chris Jones continues to drop cryptic messages on his Instagram account. On Monday, he posted another video montage of his best moments. He captioned it: “I done been thru so much…”
Chris Jones wants his contract to be Aaron Donald adjacent
The Chiefs selected Chris Jones, the former Mississippi State star, in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He’s had an amazing career since then. Jones is a tackle who can play the run and rush the passer — the ultimate skills for an NFL defensive lineman. He finished third in the NFL defensive player of the year voting. But he was first AFC defender in the balloting.
Kansas City and Jones agreed to a contract extension in 2020. And if they don’t reach a deal, preferably before training camp starts, Jones would be a free agent next year. Jones skipped mandatory minicamp, subjecting himself to fines of almost $100,000 since he’s still under contract.
“That’s his choice. He chose not to be here,” coach Andy Reid told reporters last month as mini camp ended. “But I’m sure he’ll be at training camp.” Reid then hedged some, adding “I wish I could predict it. I think there’s a chance, a chance he’s not. We’ll see.”
Chris Jones even skipped a huge Chiefs event last month. The team received its Super Bowl rings and did so with a big party, complete with a red carpet. Jones later said he missed the festivities because he was sick.
So what does the big tackle want? His base salary for this season is $19.5 million. However, he’d like his money to be bigger, putting him just under Aaron Donald‘s deal, which makes him the highest-paid, non-quarterback in the NFL. Donald makes $32 million a year.
Brett Veach, the Chiefs general manager, talked about Jones’ contract situation during the party.
“Listen, we have a long history together and we have a great relationship with his agent, Veach said. “I mean, these things usually get worked out right before [or] right during the first start of camp so we anticipate the same, and we’ll see how it goes.”
The Chiefs start training camp July 23.
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