CHIEFS AGREE TO MONSTER DEAL WITH FIVE-TIME PRO BOWL DT CHRIS JONES
The Kansas City Chiefs have reached an agreement with All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones that is set to keep the three-time Super Bowl champion in Kansas City for the next five years, as reported by his agency, Katz Brothers Sports, late Saturday night.
The specific details are still being finalized, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter but the structure of the contract is a five-year deal with up to $95 million fully guaranteed, making Jones the highest paid defensive tackle in NFL history in annual average salary and eclipsing Los Angeles’ Rams future Hall of Fame defensive tackle, Aaron Donald.
The former Mississippi State Bulldog’s money is front-loaded earning him a whopping $95 million in the first three years, all fully guaranteed. $95 million in guaranteed money is the fourth-most guaranteed money for a defensive player in NFL history, as per Roster Management System, trailing only the 49er’s Nick Bosa ($119 million), Chargers’ Joey Bosa ($102 million, and Browns’ Myles Garrett ($102 million).
Jones’ deal comes just a day after the Baltimore Ravens announced that they had extended franchise tackle, Justin Madubuike for another four years.
One of the top free agents this offseason, Jones is already off the market before the start of the new league year on Wednesday, March 13th. The five-time Pro Bowler responded to the news by posting two emojis of a contract signing on X.
Jones endured months of negotiations with the Chiefs and had to hold out during training camp last year as both player and organization failed to come to agreement on a new deal. He then went on to miss the Chiefs’ opening regular season game against the Detroit Lions but came back the following week, however, after revising his deal and tacking on a few more incentives. Jones ended up totaling 10.5 sacks on the season, second among defensive tackles behind Justin Madubuike.
He was also named First team All-Pro and played a key role in the Chiefs playoff run in yet another championship year. It was thought that Jones would have his contract extended after a successful 2022 season in which he matched his career high in sacks (15.5) and won the Super Bowl for the second time but both parties couldn’t reach an agreement. After betting on himself last year, the 2016 second-round pick now gets his record setting deal.
With Jones’ compensation taken care of, the next priority for the defending champions is the contract of franchise cornerback L’Jarius Sneed – after signing pending free agent linebacker Drue Tranquill to a three-year, $19 million deal on Friday.
The Chiefs tagged Sneed last week. The fourth-year defensive back has permission from the team to seek a trade, meaning he could return and play on the tag in 2024 or receive an extension. He could also be moved ahead of the NFL Draft in exchange for draft compensation. It’s widely thought that a second-round pick could be enough for a cornerback needy team to snag Sneed, who is still only 27 years old.
There’s been plenty of speculation regarding the futures of head coach Andy Reid, tight end Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones this offseason but all three figures are expected to be back in 2024. The Chiefs are coming off a rollercoaster 2023 campaign that was capped off with a second consecutive Lombardi trophy and are aiming to be the first team in NFL history to do the three-peat and win three Super Bowls in a row.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: KJ 1595. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.