Defensive tackle Chris Jones’ future with the Kansas City Chiefs continues to get murkier and murkier as each day passes.
The 25-year-old is arguably one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL right now and was a huge contributor defensively during the Chiefs’ recent championship run. Despite that, multiple reports from last Friday say Jones has had very little, if any, communication with members of the Chiefs’ front office since the team placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him back on March 16.
Which begs the question, what are the Chiefs waiting for?
While both sides have been vocal at various points during the off-season that they want to continue their relationship through the 2020 season and beyond, however, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on May 28 that “not much traction” was made on a new contract to keep Jones in Kansas City. NFL Insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network also added on May 29 that no negotiations or discussions on a new deal have occurred since the tag was placed on him.
Meanwhile, Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt announced earlier last week the team was officially negotiating a new contract for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
So what gives? Well, one of two things could be at play here.
First off, there’s no question as to where the team has their priorities set on and that’s Mahomes, which isn’t much of a surprise nor should it be. Clark Hunt as well GM Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid have all said during the off-season that Pat was going to be priority number one.
In regards to Jones, the Chiefs know that he’s expecting a new deal similar to what DeForest Buckner got from the Indianapolis Colts which would be in the ballpark of the 4-years, $84 million range.
That’s completely different from Mahomes’ situation because nobody knows exactly how much it’s going to cost the Chiefs to extend their franchise quarterback. We know he’s deserving of a $200 million contract, however, there’s no telling if Mahomes is actually going to take that much. The 24-year-old QB has previously said he wants the team to be able to pay the guys around him, so there’s really no way of knowing what Mahomes’ new potential deal would entail until a pen gets put to paper.
That being said, I think it makes sense to try and get Mahomes’ contract done first and then take what is left of the salary cap and put it towards paying Jones which could be why the team hasn’t spoken to Jones nor began any kind of negotiations…yet.
At the end of the day, the two sides have until July 15 to get a deal done so there’s still a little bit of time.
However, if the July deadline passes without a contract extension being finalized, then not only with the star defensive tackle will be forced to play the 2020 season under the franchise tag for $16.1 million, which he has not signed yet, but it may also be a sign that the team is either waiting to have the funds going into the 2021 season before finally negotiating a new deal for Jones.
OR..and fans probably won’t like this.
The team could be waiting for a plausible replacement on the depth chart to step up during the 2020 campaign, such as second-year defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, who did well during his rookie season as a sub-defensive lineman and could see more playing time in Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive schemes in his second year. In 2019, he played in 12 games, started 4, and finished the season with 22 tackles, two QB hits, a sack, and a pass deflection.
Consider this, if Saunders has a monster training camp and preseason and winds up being a total wrecking ball when he’s on the field in 2020; that would provide Kansas City with a cheaper option that would allow the team to perhaps change the sense of urgency to immediately pay Jones and instead, shop around and see what kind of capital they could get in exchange.
Again that would only be the case if someone further down the depth chart gave the Chiefs the insentive that they’d be ok to let a quality talent like Chris Jones go to another team in exchange for picks.
But what do you think? Does Kansas City shift their attention towards paying Chris Jones after they extend Pat Mahomes or do they wait until next off-season and see if there’s a young buck on the roster that could step up and provide a cheaper alternative as opposed to breaking the bank on the defensive tackle?
