Coveted Free Agent Receiver Turned Down Kansas City Chiefs

Zay Jones signed with the Arizona Cardinals on Friday, but before joining the Cardinals on a one-year deal, he had drawn interest from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Apparently, there was mutual interest between Jones and the Chiefs, but Jones ultimately turned down Kansas City in favor of the Cardinals, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

Fowler noted that Arizona “put it over the top,” which probably means that the Cardinals offered more money. Jones’ contract with the Cards is worth $4.25 million.

The wide receiver market has now gotten very thin, and the Chiefs may have to bring back one of Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Mecole Hardman in order to fill out the depth chart.

You wouldn’t think Kansas City would have any major needs considering that the team is coming off of back-to-back Super Bowl championships, but the receiver position was a problem for the Chiefs even last year.

Outside of Rashee Rice, Kansas City didn’t really have much to offer at wide out, as both Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore were significant disappointments for the club.

The Chiefs have addressed the issue this offseason, signing Marquise Brown in free agency and selecting University of Texas standout Xavier Worthy in the first round of the NFL Draft.

However, Rice has gotten himself into some pretty serious legal trouble and is likely facing a lengthy suspension from the NFL as a result. If Rice ends up missing most—or perhaps even all—of next season, Kansas City will essentially be back at square one.

It’s also important to keep in mind that Brown just had a couple of subpar years in Arizona, and while Worthy is a very talented prospect, he is entirely unproven.

That’s why the Chiefs had serious interest in Jones, who is two years removed from hauling in 82 receptions for 823 yards and five touchdowns with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But, Jones ultimately chose the Cardinals, who not only may have offered more money, but may have promised the 29-year-old a greater opportunity. There is a chance that Jones would only be the No. 4 receiver in Kansas City depending on Rice’s status, whereas he would certainly be higher on Arizona’s depth chart.

Regardless, the Chiefs may now be left with no choice but to turn to Valdes-Scantling or Hardman, which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world given the team’s familiarity with both players.

We’ll see what Kansas City decides to do in the coming weeks.