Chiefs To Franchise Tag DT Chris Jones
No surprises here, but the Chiefs are going to put the franchise tag on star DT Chris Jones, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com was first to report (via Twitter). We had previously heard that KC was going to use the tag on Jones if the two sides could not come to terms on a long-term pact prior to the deadline to use the tag, but the Chiefs acted quickly to make sure Jones will not hit the open market (today is the first day teams can officially use the franchise and transition tags).
Of course, Kansas City wants to keep Jones in the fold for the long haul, and Jones obviously wants the security of a long-term pact, so player and team will continue negotiating. In 2019, the Mississippi State product continued to excel at getting to the quarterback, recording nine sacks in just 13 games. He was not quite as effective in terms of stopping the run, but his pass rush abilities more than make up for that.
The franchise tag value for defensive linemen is $16.1MM, but last year, Jones held out in hopes of securing a deal north of $20MM per year, and as he is coming off his first Pro Bowl campaign, his price tag won’t be dropping. He abilities and youth — he will turn 26 in July — make him one of the most attractive DTs in the game.
But the Chiefs are already paying Frank Clark over $20MM per year, and they are planning to sign QB Patrick Mahomes to a record-setting extension this offseason. As such, Jones could become a part of a tag-and-trade, though that sounds like more of a last resort at this point.
However, other players currently on the Super Bowl champions’ roster could be on the trade block. Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network says that the Chiefs are looking to slash salary and the scuttlebutt at the scouting combine is that they are open for business (Twitter link).
Chiefs To Talk With Sammy Watkins
The Chiefs want Sammy Watkins back in 2020, but not at his current rate. On Tuesday, Chiefs GM Brett Veach confirmed that he’ll sit down with Watkins’ agents this week to discuss a new deal that would fit the team’s budget. 
“We’ll sit down and talk about the landscape of where we are and what would make sense to us and how we can make this work and we’ll get feedback from them in regards to what they’re looking for and hopefully we can bridge a gap and make something happen,’’ Veach said. (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher).
Watkins is slated to earn $14MM in 2020, a figure that doesn’t make much sense given his current place in the Chiefs’ offensive hierarchy. Still, Watkins’ presence alongside Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, and other weapons gives opposing defenses extra cause for concern, and the veteran came through in some crucial moments for the Super Bowl champs last year.
Recently, Watkins stopped short of saying that he’d take a pay cut to stay, but he seems open to one. Frankly, it’s the only way that he’ll be able to remain in KC – his salary comes with a $21MM cap hit and there’s no conceivable way that the Chiefs can make that work as they get set to defend their throne.
Watkins has posted least 40 receptions, 500 receiving yards, and three touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. He’s also been clutch in the playoffs – he’s averaged 92.8 receiving yards across his five postseason contests with the Chiefs.
At one point, Watkins hinted at the possibility of taking a year off from football and returning in 2021. That no longer seems like the plan for him, but he suggested recently that he could skip a portion of OTAs to spend more time with his family.
Veach: Chris Jones Is Top Priority
While the Chiefs are not planning to let Chris Jones get away, the dynamic interior pass rusher staying in Kansas City long-term is another matter. The Chiefs have a $20MM defensive lineman already, in Frank Clark, and will likely have to give Patrick Mahomes a deal in the $40MM-AAV neighborhood. Nevertheless, the Chiefs have the UFA-to-be entrenched as their top priority going into March.
“Chris is obviously a great player, and he’s a priority,” GM Brett Veach said via KCChiefs.com’s B.J. Kissel on his In the Trenches podcast (h/t Chiefs Wire). “We have a lot of priorities. Look, we know how hard it is to win a Super Bowl. It hadn’t been done in 50 years and we won it with the group we had last year. So I think that as we attack this offseason, first up its free agency before the draft, our goal and mindset is to do whatever we can to retain as many players as we can. And Chris is at the top of that list because of the talent he is.”
It will likely take near-Aaron Donald-level money ($22.5MM per year) to lock down Jones long-term, but the franchise tag is only estimated to cost $16.3MM. Despite the Chiefs currently holding $13.7MM in cap space, that is likely where this situation is headed for the time being. Here is the latest from the AFC:
Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy Turns Down Colorado
Eric Bieniemy won’t be leaving Kansas City. This week, the Chiefs offensive coordinator withdrew his name from consideration, as Mike Klis of 9News tweets. 
Bieniemy did not formally interview for the job, but the Buffs pursued him hard nonetheless. Klis’ understanding is that Bieniemy was Colorado’s first choice for the job and they kept in contact with him throughout, even while he was on vacation.
Bieniemy has interviewed for a number of NFL head coaching jobs in recent cycles but has yet to come away with any. Colorado presented him with an opportunity to finally run his own show – and return to his alma mater – but he ultimately felt that the Chiefs job was too good to give up. Besides, with another year of electric offense in Kansas City, it feels inevitable that Bieniemy will finally get his big break. Had Bieniemy signed up at Colorado, he likely would have been tied to the school for multiple seasons with a significant buyout for any NFL team hiring him.
Bieniemy has been a Chiefs assistant for the last seven years. This offseason, he interviewed with the Browns, Giants, and Panthers about their head coaching vacancies. Last year, he chatted with the Bucs and Dolphins.
Latest On Chiefs’ Chris Jones Plans
Patrick Mahomes‘ looming extension overshadows the Chiefs’ other offseason matters, but the team looks to have reached a decision on Chris Jones. Well, to some degree.
The free agent defensive tackle would be one of the top players available on this year’s market, but the Chiefs do not plan to let him get there. If they cannot reach an extension agreement by the end of the window to apply franchise tags (March 10), the defending Super Bowl champions will tag Jones, Albert Breer of SI.com notes.
A defensive tackle franchise tag would run the Chiefs approximately $16.3MM. Based on Jones’ per-year asking price, that would be a bargain for Kansas City. Last year, Jones held out in hopes of securing a deal north of $20MM per year. The contract the Chiefs gave Frank Clark after trading for him — five years, $104MM with $63MM guaranteed — represents the most lucrative accord in franchise history. With Jones making his first Pro Bowl a year after setting the NFL record for most consecutive games with a sack, his price point this time around will surely not drop.
That stands to complicate matters for the Chiefs, who will face a difficult task in paying two defensive linemen over $20MM per year and authorizing Mahomes’ record-setting extension. The Chiefs already have two wideouts earning at least $16MM per year, leading to understandable speculation Sammy Watkins will be released to expand on the Chiefs’ $13MM worth of cap space.
Tag-and-trade scenarios for Jones may surface, as the Chiefs were part of tag-and-trade deals for Clark and Dee Ford last year. But Breer expects the standout interior pass rusher to be a Chief next season. Jones, 25, getting to $20MM AAV make him just the second interior defender to hit that mark, joining Aaron Donald. The latter is attached to a $22.5MM-per-year pact, which leads all other inside defenders by more than $5MM annually.
Eric Bieniemy Planning To Stay With Chiefs
Prior to latching on with Andy Reid when the longtime Eagles coach relocated to Kansas City, Eric Bieniemy was the University of Colorado’s offensive coordinator. And the Colorado alum is squarely on the Buffaloes’ radar for their recently available head coaching gig.
Colorado has made multiple overtures to the Chiefs’ OC about the job Mel Tucker recently vacated when he left after one season to take the Michigan State HC job. However, the Bieniemy-to-Boulder rumors are not expected to produce a move.
The Pac-12 program’s interest in the seven-year Chiefs assistant has not generated much in the way of traction, with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com indicating Bieniemy is content where he is — largely because of what will likely come his way in 2021 (video link). Bieniemy is likely on the verge of receiving a chance to be a head coach in 2021, after taking three interviews this offseason. And the Super Bowl ring he is set to receive may well cement yet another Reid OC earning a top NFL job. He spoke about his dream to be an NFL head coach before Super Bowl LIV.
Bieniemy met with the Browns, Giants and Panthers about their vacancies this offseason and interviewed for the Buccaneers’ and Dolphins’ jobs in 2019. Although things change fast in the NFL, Reid’s right-hand man during Patrick Mahomes‘ ascent figures to have a good chance of being one of the NFL’s 32 HCs come 2021. The 2020 season will be Bieniemy’s third as Chiefs OC.
Colorado also has Giants outside linebackers coach Bret Bielema on its radar; the ex-Wisconsin and Arkansas HC will interview for the post. As of now, it does not sound like Bieniemy will take a meeting with his alma mater. The ex-NFL running back played at Colorado from 1987-90 and was part of the Buffs’ 1990 national championship team. Bieniemy, 50, broke into coaching as Colorado’s running backs coach from 2001-02.
CB Bashaud Breeland Wants To Stay With Chiefs
Cornerback Bashaud Breeland is showing his hand a bit before hitting free agency. The veteran told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he’s “looking forward to being a part of the” Chiefs organization next year.
“It’s been a great journey for me, man. You know what I mean? I’m just enjoying the journey, you know what I mean? And when free agency hits, it hits,” Breeland said (via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com). “If I’m back in Kansas City, I’m going to life life to the fullest. If I’m not, I’m gonna live it to the fullest. I’ll cross that bridge when I cross it. But at this point in time, I’m looking forward to being a part of the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Breeland’s 2018 campaign was a bit of a mess. After inking a three-year, $24MM contract ($11MM guaranteed) with the Panthers, his contract was voided due to an infected foot. He had to wait until late September of that season until he finally caught on with the Packers, but he was hampered by a hamstring injury throughout his Green Bay tenure.
The 28-year-old had to settle for a one-year deal with the Chiefs last offseason, and he had a bounce-back season in 2019. He appeared in all 16 regular season games (15 starts) for Kansas City, compiling 48 tackles, eight passes defended, and a pair of interceptions. He also came up big during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win, compiling seven tackles and snagging a pick.
Colorado Eyeing Eric Bieniemy For HC Vacancy
The University of Colorado is seeking a new head coach, and they’re eyeing an alumni to fill the spot. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the school has reached out to Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy about the vacancy. Earlier today, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that the school was expected to reach out to Bieniemy, even though it was unlikely he’d leave his current gig.
Bieniemy was a standout player during his time at Colorado, earning a consensus All-American nod while also being named a Heisman Trophy finalist. The 1991 second-round pick ended up sticking around the NFL for nine years as a player, serving mostly as a pass-catching backup running back.
Following his playing career, Bieniemy returned to Colorado as their running backs coach. He lated moved on to UCLA before taking the leap to the NFL coaching ranks with the Vikings. In 2011, he joined Colorado again to be their offensive coordinator, and he later joined Andy Reid‘s staff in Kansas City as their RBs coach.
He was promoted to Chiefs OC in 2018 after Matt Nagy took the head coaching job with the Bears. Thanks in part to the promotion (and, obviously, the emergence of Patrick Mahomes), the Chiefs have evolved into one of the top offenses in the entire league.
DL Mike Pennel Wants To Stay With Chiefs
Chiefs defensive lineman Mike Pennel is set to become an unrestricted free agent, but he made it very clear that he wants to return to Kansas City next season.
“I’d definitely like to stay here,” Pennel told Herbie Teope of KansasCity.com. “I know this is the place where I work well with the coaches, I love the fan base, I love the city and my family stays out here.
“I know it’s a business, but I told my agents and I told everybody in the Kansas City Chiefs organization that I’d like to be back.”
It’s not too surprising to hear this sentiment from Pennel. Besides winning a Super Bowl with the Chiefs, the organization also helped to revitalize the veteran’s career. Following two underwhelming seasons with the Jets, the lineman signed a two-year deal with the Patriots last offseason. However, he didn’t make it to the regular season with New England, and Pennel still found himself out of work in mid-October.
He signed with the Chiefs half way through the season, and he proceeded to compile 24 tackles and one sack in eight games for the team. He also appeared in each of Kansas City’s three playoff games, starting two of them. Most notably, as Teope points out, the Chiefs run defense improved immensely as the season went on, with Pennel earning some praise for his play.
“Mike’s been huge in regards to the strength to our interior run defense, and playing stout and playing with leverage,” said general manager Brett Veach. “You can never have enough of those bodies, so when you have another guy that is talented as Mike, it’s a big deal.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/11/20
Here are today’s minor moves:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: WR Gehrig Dieter
New England Patriots
- Signed: DB Lenzy Pipkins
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Alex Barrett, OL Jake Brendel, OL Jaryd Jones-Smith