The Chicago Bears have already added one big name to their defensive front in the last month. Could another one be coming? General manager Ryan Poles and the Bears have reportedly inquired about the availability of Kansas City Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones, according to Payne Insider of the Bet the Board podcast. Jones has been missing from Chiefs training camp all summer due to a contract dispute and has no plans on reporting any time soon.
On Thursday’s episode of the betting podcast, Insider and co-host Todd Fuhrman were previewing the AFC West. When it was time to talk about the Chiefs, Jones’ contract situation came up, and Insider said the Bears made a call in regards to his availability.
I’m not insinuating a trade is coming but the Bears have called about Chris Jones because they want to be all in on Justin Fields’ rookie contract. Let’s see what transpires here.
The report was shared by ESPN 1000’s Carmen DeFalco on Friday’s “Carmen and Jurko” show, who provides background on Insider as someone “very plugged in across the NFL.”
The Bears have overhauled their roster this offseason with trades, big signings, and high draft picks. Their most recent signing was bringing in veteran pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue on a one-year, $10.5 million deal. Now they could be looking to make an even bigger splash by bringing in one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL.
Jones was drafted by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft and quickly became a prominent defensive player. He broke out in his third season with 15.5 sacks in 2018 and has been the team’s top defender for the last few years as he’s helped Kansas City capture two Super Bowl titles. He has 243 total tackles (65 for a loss), 65 sacks, and 12 forced fumbles, with four Pro Bowl nods and one First-Team All-Pro appearance.
All of that success comes at a price, though, and Jones is looking for a new deal. He signed a four-year deal worth up to $80 million ($60 million guaranteed) in 2020. The 29-year-old is entering the final year of that contract and is looking to make top dollar. Until the Chiefs (or someone else) pays up, he’s willing to stay away until Week 8. That’s the latest he can sit out and still hit free agency the following season. It’s reported that Jones is looking to make $30 million per year on a new deal.
Ever since he arrived in early 2022, Poles has been reluctant to make splash moves that require sending draft capital and/or paying top dollar for players up to this point. But Jones could be worth such a move, and he’s someone Poles knows well. The Bears general manager had a hand in drafting him when he was a member of the Chiefs front office.
Time will tell if the Bears or any other team are serious about making a trade for Jones. But it’s clear Poles is looking at every avenue to make the Bears a competitive team heading into the 2023 season.
