Dexter Lawrence Development Matters to Chiefs, Chris Jones

Dexter Lawrence isn’t even in the top 10. He ranks 11th at $22.5 million . And that’s why he opted not to report to the Giants’ offseason program this week under new head coach John Harbaugh, requesting a trade.

The Chiefs should be paying attention, not because they should consider acquiring Lawrence. It's because the Jones contract is a North Star among defensive tackles. And that 2024 deal is an iceberg that’s only starting to reveal its tip.

Revisiting the 2024 contract

A five-year, $158.75 million contract signed two years ago this spring, the contract is set to account for 14.9 percent of the Chiefs’ cap in 2026. Jones carries a $44.85 million cap hit this year, by far the largest on the team. Patrick Mahomes, unbelievably, is set to count just $34.65 million this year – only 11.5 percent of the cap.

What the Chiefs do with Jones moving forward is intriguing. They still have a Mahomes-like lever they can pull, asking Jones to restructure his deal and create cap room. They might need to do that anyway just to fit their rookie class under the cap.

Cap hit looms on horizon

They’ll absolutely have to restructure Jones’ contract a year from now, when Mahomes’ cap number jumps to $85.25 million. Next season, Jones is set to count $38.1 million against the cap. In 2028, the final year of the deal, his cap number leaps back up to $44.85 million.

Whether the Giants pay Lawrence closer to Jones’ range, or another team acquires the 28-year-old Pro Bowler and pays him, the Chiefs should watch closely. Lawrence and Jones are vastly different players – Steve Spagnuolo will kick Jones outside in some passing situations, and Lawrence is a premier run-stuffer -- but they’re both interior linemen with regard to the market.

And they both draw double-teams at significant rates. That’s what kept Jones from a more impressive sack total the last two seasons – he had five in 2024 and seven last year – but did open opportunities for other Chiefs pass rushers.

This season is critical for what the Chiefs do with Jones, who turns 32 in July. They’ve already committed to building around him, investing a second-round pick last year in Omarr Norman-Lott, a similar brand of pass-rushing interior tackle. They also signed Khyiris Tonga in free agency to anchor the middle of the defensive line.

What Jones does this season, and what those players do around him, will go a long way toward deciding whether the Chiefs see him as a cap casualty next spring. And how close Lawrence gets to Jones’ pay range will provide context.