Following their Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs now have two big decisions to make. The first is re-signing the 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes to a record-setting contract. The second is to bring back Pro Bowl defensive lineman and sack leader Chris Jones.
Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach recently spoke to NFL Network's James Palmer about Jones' impending free agency stating, "Chris Jones is our top priority," and said the franchise tag is in play for the 25-year old star. Veach added he wants Chris Jones and Frank Clark together and that he and Jones' camp would meet to discuss a new deal in the upcoming week.
Since being drafted by the Chiefs in 2016, Jones has totaled 33 sacks including a career-high 15 sacks in 2018. 2019 was Jones' first year as a Pro Bowl selection while averaging 59 percent of the defensive snap count over the last four seasons.
Jones is expected to command a hefty price tag for his services with a market value price sitting at $19.2 million per year over five seasons, according to SpoTrac. A salary totaling $96.4M would make Jones the seventh-highest-active paid defensive player in the NFL behind Khalil Mack, Aaron Donald, Von Miller, Demarcus Lawrence, Frank Clark, Fletcher Cox, and JJ Watt.
Jones would join defensive linemate Frank Clark as the only two defensive players on the same team to average an annual salary of at least $19.2 million. The Chiefs would also owe $40 million per year to Jones and Clark combined. Add in Patrick Mahomes' eventual $200 million contract extension, and re-signing Jones sounds more irrational by the minute.
The thought of paying three players 40 percent of the team's salary cap should keep Chiefs GM Brett Veach up at night and make him think twice about diving deep into his pocket to satisfy Jones.
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