The Kansas City Chiefs have hosted some of the most prolific pass rushers in NFL history, and Chris Jones is among the finest of the bunch. With sack numbers that put him in the same league as legends like Derrick Thomas, Tamba Hali, and Neil Smith, Jones’ current holdout has some Chiefs fans on edge about his future in Kansas City.
The team invested heavily in the middle of their defensive line after securing their Super Bowl LVII victory, signing veteran Charles Omenihu in free agency and picking rookie Keondre Coburn in the sixth round of April’s draft.
They also returned former first-round pick Danny Shelton from their championship roster, and have fan-favorite lineman Tershawn Wharton set to return from injury in the coming weeks. The team has even experimented with using Mike Danna at the defensive tackle spot and has veteran Derrick Nnadi to eat up space between the offensive tackles.
Chiefs’ All-Pro DT Chris Jones, who has been seeking a new deal this off-season, did not report with the rest of the team to training camp today, per source. The two sides remain “far apart” on a new deal for the Defensive Players of the Year finalist. pic.twitter.com/7doEzdxZcO
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 22, 2023
Add to that their selections of George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the first rounds of the past two drafts to fill out the edges, and Kansas City is loaded for bear up front ahead of the 2023 season, at least on paper.
While none of these players are likely to replace Jones’ production individually, the group has the potential to present offensive lines with plenty of precarious predicaments with their varied skill sets.
What is playing out between Jones and Kansas City’s front office is a negotiation where both sides have mutual interest, and one side has all the leverage.
Chris Jones reportedly wants $30 million per year. https://t.co/inUnKLz0gx
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 24, 2023
Jones’ current deal is already the second-richest on the Chiefs’ books behind Patrick Mahomes, and while he deserves every bit of what he reportedly wants, the NFL’s salary cap is going to make it hard for the team to justify a deal worth $30 million or more per season.
Kansas City has prepared for a life without Jones if a split becomes necessary, and though it would be a huge blow to the Chiefs’ defense if the holdout extends into the regular season, Steve Spagnuolo certainly has contingency options at his disposal.
The Chiefs’ front office also has options and can choose to place the franchise tag on Jones at the end of the season to keep him in Kansas City through 2024, but they may have to pony up more money. He would be due a salary somewhere in the range of $32 million next season if the team were to tag him, so his demands for the extension aren’t totally without merit.
The reality of the situation, though, is that it would be in neither party’s best interest for Jones to continue sitting out through the entirety of the Chiefs’ training camp and preseason. If he is holding out for a massive payday, missed time to prepare for a contract-year campaign could hamstring his efforts to put up career-best numbers during the regular season and playoffs.
Fans who are more concerned about Jones’ immediate future in Kansas City can rest easy knowing that the team holds all the cards in a situation like this, even through the 2024 season. However, for those who want to see him stay with the Chiefs for the next half-decade, the current state of affairs should certainly seem worrisome.
