Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Chiefs have yet to make an offer to franchise DT Chris Jones, but the two sides have at least had some contract talks.
Adam Schefter said recently during a Twitter Q&A (via the Boardroom) that the Chiefs plan keep Jones, despite some talk he could be a potential tag-and-trade candidate this offseason.
“They put the franchise tag on [Jones] so they’re planning to keep him,” Schefter said, via ArrowheadAddict.com. “Now he’s going to want a new long-term deal but that may be tough to achieve. Both sides will work to make that happen.
“They know he’ll be costly. They want to keep him. They kinda have to keep him. I would say that both sides will have until July 15 to try to work out a long-term deal which is why the Chiefs are so up against the cap right now. They know they have big moves to make.”
Jones is reportedly seeking a deal similar in value to teammate Frank Clark’s five-year, $105 million contract that included $63.5 million guaranteed. However, Kansas City was reportedly offering him closer to $42 million guaranteed over the first three years in a long-term deal.
Kansas City has other major contracts to consider, notably QB Patrick Mahomes who’s eligible for a record-breaking extension this offseason. But expect Jones to be a priority for the Chiefs as well.
The franchise tag will cost the Chiefs $16.1 million fully guaranteed for the 2020 season.
Jones, 25, is a former second-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2016. He just finished the final year of his four-year, $6.231 million contract and made a base salary of $1.19 million in the final year of the agreement.
In 2019, Jones appeared in 13 games for the Chiefs and recorded 36 tackles, nine sacks, one forced fumble, one recovery and four pass defenses.
We’ll have more regarding Jones as the news is available.
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