Chiefs Rumors

Questions about how long Chris Jones‘ holdout would last were answered on Monday when he agreed to a new one-year deal with the Chiefs. The fact he is still set for free agency at the end of the campaign leaves his future in doubt, but he reiterated his desire to remain in Kansas City when speaking publicly about his situation.

Jones was absent from training camp and the Chiefs’ Week 1 loss, decisions which led to over $2MM in fines and a missed game check of $1.1MM. Incentives in his reworked pact will allow the All-Pro to recoup the money he walked away from, and a massive statistical performance (coupled with team success) would allow him to slightly outpace the earnings he was originally scheduled for. With an agreement in place, Jones is set to make his 2023 debut in Week 2.

“I’m super pleased with how it turned out,” the 29-year-old said when asked about his decision to return to the team, via ESPN’s Adam Teicher. “I’m back in the building. I’m excited to be back, thankful for the organization. They [were] able to boost my salary up to make up for the fines and everything. I’m super grateful for that.”

Jones’ presence will be a welcomed sight for a team which has relied heavily on his interior pass-rushing abilities during his career. He matched a personal best with 15 sacks last season, and reaching that mark again will trigger one of several play-time and performance-based incentives in his new contract. With no new years added to his pact, though, it remains to be seen if team and player will remain interested in continuing their relationship beyond this season.

A report from yesterday indicated that is the case. Jones – who could still be franchise tagged in March, if resumed extension negotiations fail to produce a multi-year accord bringing his annual compensation closer to that of Aaron Donald, the leading DT earner – confirmed he holds no ill will toward the organization and is hopeful a free agent departure will not ensue.

“I think you as a reporters and fans kind of misconstrue the contract thing,” he added. “It is never personal. I don’t think I started hating Coach [Andy] Reid or I started disliking [GM Brett] Veach. I love Veach. He knows I love him. We had on and off conversation throughout it all… I don’t think our relationship was affected any [by] that. They know how much I love this organization. They know how much I love this team, and I don’t think that affected any part of our relationship.”

After viewing the Chiefs’ season-opening loss in an Arrowhead Stadium suite, Chris Jones will be on track to suit up against the Jaguars in Week 2. In an arrangement similar to the Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs agreements, Jones is back with the team with some sweeteners added to his through-2023 deal.

Jones’ contract still runs only through season’s end, and with the franchise tag prohibitive due to the Chiefs having tagged him 2020, has a decent chance to reach free agency next year. But the Chiefs have not ruled out keeping Jones on another deal, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, who adds there is no bad blood in this situation.

Both Jones and the Chiefs are open to revisiting talks on a contract that would keep the All-Pro in Kansas City beyond this year, Breer adds. Though, the Chiefs not being willing to move into Aaron Donald territory for Jones now obviously runs the risk of the dominant interior pass rusher leaving in March. The Chiefs’ exclusive negotiating rights with Jones run until the 2024 legal tampering period. Without the franchise tag as a likely deterrent, as it would run the Chiefs more than $32MM to cuff Jones in 2024, the team would enter crunch time with its top defender between season’s end and the tampering period that kicks off free agency.

This situation also reminds of the Chiefs’ failed negotiations with Orlando Brown Jr., who cited insufficient guarantees in the team’s offer before the July 2022 deadline to extend franchise-tagged players. Although the Chiefs could have re-tagged the Pro Bowl left tackle for just less than $20MM, they passed and let Brown hit the market. Brown’s overall money with the Bengals (four years, $64.1MM) did not match the Chiefs’ proposal (six years, $139MM), but the veteran blocker will collect $42.35MM over the Cincinnati pact’s first two years and be better positioned for another big-ticket deal sooner. The Chiefs proposal included $38MM guaranteed at signing.

In terms of age and accomplishments, Jones (29) would be poised to become one of the best defensive players to hit free agency in many years. It would be interesting to see what kind of market would form for the longtime Chiefs defensive centerpiece. With the salary cap expected to balloon in the $250MM range — which would mark a substantial increase from this year’s ceiling ($224.8MM) — it would seemingly be difficult for the Chiefs to finalize an agreement with Jones between season’s end and the market opening. But some time remains before that point.

Even after Week 1, a gap was believed to remain between the Chiefs and Jones on value. With Nick Bosa signing for $34MM per year, it will be difficult for teams to paint the Donald contract ($31.7MM AAV) as an outlier in terms of salary. The Chiefs were believed to have offered Jones a three-year deal that featured $24.7MM AAV. That number checked in barely above Quinnen Williams‘ figure. Williams, Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons and Daron Payne formed a second tier behind Donald. Arguing he is much closer to the Rams great than the younger lot of D-tackles, Jones pushed for Donald-level money.

With none of these players hitting the market, Jones could be months away from finding out what a top-flight D-lineman is worth when a bidding war ensues. For now, however, the eighth-year D-tackle will aim to help the Chiefs shake off an 0-1 start and attempt to defend their Super Bowl title.

SEPTEMBER 11: With the Chiefs’ Week 1 loss in the books, they are no closer to working out an agreement with Jones, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports notes (video link). The All-Pro is in line to continue missing $1.1MM in game checks for every week which he remains absent, which will progressively lessen his financial gain if/when an extension is signed. However, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones adds that the two-time Super Bowl winner is aiming for a figure close to Donald in its own right, not to simply sit second in the DT pecking order. With no progress being made, the parties appear likely to remain at an impasse.

SEPTEMBER 7: Hours from the Chiefs’ opener, they face the prospect of their second- and third-best players not being on the field. Travis Kelce is dealing with a knee hyperextension and bone bruise, and Chris Jones‘ holdout is well into its second month.

Jones may be at Arrowhead Stadium tonight, but NFL.com’s James Palmer notes the All-Pro defensive tackle would be stationed in a suite — to watch the Chiefs raise a third Super Bowl banner — as his teammates suit up to face the Lions. While an interesting development given Jones’ current circumstances, the Chiefs are believed to be OK with the D-tackle holdout being present for the pregame ceremony.

The seven-year veteran said Wednesday (via The Athletic’s Nate Taylor) he could suit up tonight were a deal agreed to, but both NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo indicate nothing is close (video links). This refrain has persisted for weeks, leading to this undesired outcome. Jones will miss Kansas City’s first game, and while a 10-day gap resides between now and the team’s Week 2 trip to Jacksonville, Nick Bosa‘s five-year, $170MM extension introduced a new complication into these proceedings.

The Chiefs had attempted to treat Aaron Donald‘s $31.7MM-per-year Rams pact as an outlier, aiming to have Jones’ third contract come in closer to the recently formed second tier Quinnen Williams currently tops (at $24MM AAV). Jones was connected to a $30MM-per-year ask earlier this summer but was recently tied to a $28MM-AAV aspiration. The Chiefs, in turn, are believed to have offered a $24.7MM extension. With Bosa now at $34MM per year, that could lead to another snag here.

Donald has held the top D-tackle salary since he signed a six-year Rams extension just before the 2018 season; the Rams authorized a landmark raise (with no new years added) after a retirement threat. While Donald’s 2022 update still leads the pack at D-tackle by a wide margin, Bosa’s new AAV affects the pass rusher market on the whole. With Jones being the only pure defensive tackle in the sack era (1982-present) with two 15-sack seasons, the Chiefs cornerstone may adjust his argument after seeing Bosa’s holdout alter the pass-rushing salary landscape.

Indicating he did not want to be a distraction to his teammates as a hold-in, Jones confirmed (via Taylor) he is seeking a raise ahead of the final season of a four-year, $80MM contract. Jones wants more money upfront in his next deal, Garafolo adds. Williams’ $47.8MM guarantee at signing tops all defensive tackles. T.J. Watt‘s $80MM had led the way for all defenders, but Bosa’s not-yet-known full guarantee number almost definitely surpasses it. Jones, 29, is likely seeking a guarantee well north of Williams’ number.

This holdout happening entirely to avoid distracting his teammates would be quite the expensive gesture on Jones’ part. The former second-round pick has racked up $2MM-plus in nonwaivable fines. The 49ers were able to waive Bosa’s due to his holdout occurring on a rookie contract. Floating out the possibility his return may not happen until the Week 8 deadline for a player to report and earn an accrued season toward free agency, Jones is the last holdout standing. Rumors this impasse would be resolved before training camp once circulated. He will soon follow in Donald’s footsteps by missing Week 1 on a holdout. Would Jones really be prepared to sacrifice more than $10MM in total by showing up around the midseason point?

The Chiefs will go into Week 1 with recently re-signed DTs Derrick Nnadi and Tershawn Wharton in place. The team also made a rare trade with the Raiders, obtaining 2022 sixth-rounder Neil Farrell to go with rookie sixth-rounder Keondre Coburn. For a Chiefs team that moved on from Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap and has UFA pickup Charles Omenihu starting a six-game suspension, losing Jones will severely restrict its pass rush. Kansas City has first-round defensive ends George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah as its top edge investments.