Kansas City Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones posted a tweet on Twitter last night that left fans with mixed emotions.
Shortly after the parade, celebrating Kansas City’s first Super Bowl victory in 50 years, Jones went to Twitter and left this stone-cold tweet.
While many fans are hopeful he’s referencing their attendance during the festivities at Union Station, others are speculating Jones could be foreshadowing his future with the Chiefs.
It’s no secret Jones was unhappy with his current contract, he held out for most of 2019 off-season looking for an extension that would make him one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in the NFL but to no avail. Jones reported to training camp on time and didn’t miss a practice nor did he let his contract situation become a locker room distraction.
Jones played in 13 regular-season games in 2019 and recorded 36 tackles, 9 sacks, 11 QB knockdowns, and 8 tackles for a loss. He played in two postseason games and now has a Super Bowl championship under his belt.
At 25 years old, Chris Jones will be an unrestricted free agent this upcoming off-season and is reportedly expecting a deal similar to Aaron Donald at around $23 million a year.
Let’s not forget the Chiefs also have Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, who is expected to be paid around $20 million a year as well and it’s highly unlikely they’ll be able to sign both players to large extensions and still retain the core players that got them to the Super Bowl, to begin with.
The Chiefs may simply have to choose and the choice may have already been made, owner Clark Hunt stated shortly after his team won the Lombardi that paying Mahomes would be a top priority this off-season.
Of course, who could argue with that decision? Mahomes is quickly taking center stage as the face of the NFL and is the youngest player to win a regular-season MVP and a Super Bowl MVP.
Unfortunately, the limelight on Mahomes will more than likely force Chris Jones to test the waters of free agency where he shouldn’t have a problem finding a team that will pay him the money he deserves.
