The Kansas City Chiefs are set to wait their time before offering a new contract to star defensive player Chris Jones, according to Albert Breer.
The Kansas City Chiefs have become a dynasty in the NFL over the past few years, with five straight AFC Conference Championship appearances, three Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl victories, taking over from the New England Patriots as the team with the target on their back at the beginning of each season.
And whilst a large part of that has no doubt been due to the impact that quarterback Patrick Mahomes has had on the offensive side of the ball alongside head coach Andy Reid, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy (who is now with the Washington Commanders) and weapons like Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman to name just three, there have also been some players who have made an impact on the other side of the ball too, with arguably the most notable one being defensive lineman Chris Jones.
Jones has been a stalwart on the line since before Mahomes arrived, but has been crucial to the team’s success in recent years with a total of 243 tackles, 65 sacks (including two years with 15.5 of them), 65 tackles for loss and 12 forced fumbles (stats from Pro Football Reference).
Jones however is heading into 2023 in the final year of his contract, and after the production he’s given them, it’s likely going to be a pretty big one.
Chris Jones set to keep cooking with the Kansas City Chiefs
Writing in a mailbag column for SI.com, NFL insider Albert Breer stressed his belief that a deal was on the way for the veteran lineman, but that things aren’t as straightforward as they could be due the finances that would be involved:
This feels like a summer extension to me. I believe over the weekend Kansas City had less than a half million in available cap space. A Jones deal will get them some relief that they need there—and obviously he’s very much a guy worth rewarding.
The price point is the question, and the deal Aaron Donald did last year does complicate things for the Chiefs. But I think in the end, they’ll be able to find middle ground with him.
A player like Jones is someone that the Chiefs either have to pay now, or run the risk that he has another incredible year in 2023 that drives the price up, or he walks away and lands on a team that will cause them problems in the future.
As Breer points out, it sounds as if a deal should be done at some point, but the Chiefs need to be very careful with how they handle it, especially if they have to take money away from other important positions to make it work.