If the Chiefs have their way, Chris Jones will be sticking around Kansas City for the foreseeable future. General manager Brett Veach told Brooke Pryor of the Kansas City Star that the two sides have started discussing a contract extension.
“There’s a lot of time to go before the season starts, and he’s certainly a guy that we’ve targeted and would love to get done,” Veach said. “The conversations have started.
“I wouldn’t say they are heating up at a rapid pace, but you’ve got to start somewhere. We’ve had two to three of these conversations and they’re getting better.”
As Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the former second-rounder is entering the final year of his contract. Jones is set to earn a $1.2MM base salary and will account for a $1.3MM cap hit.
Following his 2018 season, the 24-year-old should end up seeing a sizable pay raise. Jones had a breakout campaign last year, finishing with a career-high 40 tackles and 15.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked him fifth among 112 interior defenders, with his pass-rushing score ranking second at the position.
With Dee Ford out of the picture, the Chiefs will lean even more on Jones in 2019. The team can also turn to Derrick Nnadi and Xavier Williams in the middle of its defensive line, and reports yesterday indicated that the Chiefs were still pursuing free agent Allen Bailey. Either way, we should see Jones top his 11 starts from 2018.
one of my favorite Chiefs players
Wrong Chris Jones linked to story.