More money for Chris Jones: Chiefs star hauls in $4 million, but why?
Maintaining a roster capable of winning a Super Bowl championship through 2024 will be difficult for the Kansas City Chiefs. Key free agents like defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, two of the best players in the NFL at their positions, will require general manager Brett Veach to use cunning to keep them. The Chiefs won’t be able to keep everyone, which could be terrible news for Kansas City’s other unrestricted free agents, such Super Bowl LVIII hero Mecole Hardman. The team projects that they will have just over $20 million in available salary space.
Sneed and Jones, however, are thought to be the players the Chiefs front management is most interested in keeping around. The Chiefs made a significant procedural move on Friday to maintain Jones remained a member of the team into 2024, guaranteeing the stability of their defensive line.
Why Jones is getting an additional $4 million
The Chiefs picked up a team option on Jones’ contract on Friday, which will net the 29-year-old just over $4 million in incentives. Kansas City is doing this as a formal mechanism to — potentially — apply the franchise tag to Jones or work toward reaching a contract extension with him.
After missing out on training camp, the preseason, and the Chiefs’ Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions, Jones finally agreed to a one-year contract with a ton of incentives in September. Under the revised terms of his deal, he was eligible for a package of incentives that increased his compensation to $25 million, guaranteeing him more than $18 million and putting him in the same ballpark as other elite defensive lineman. Jones has stated that he is not interested in signing a contract that is below market value, but he might need to make a few sacrifices if he wants to stay at Arrowhead Stadium.
Although Jones’ stated preference is to remain in Kansas City, the free agent market — and the Chiefs’ salary cap maneuvering — could dictate otherwise. Patrick Mahomes could restructure his contract and defer some money into the future, but the three-time Super Bowl MVP has to agree to a second such restructuring in as many years.
If the Chiefs cannot clear the cap room to fit in Jones’ new contract — whether he takes some kind of “hometown discount” or not — then the two-time first-team All-Pro could command a record-breaking salary. Jones’ next contract could push the $100 million plateau with a potential $30 million per year salary — putting him on par with Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald and ahead of every other defensive tackle
