Many speculated that Chris Jones might need to relocate this offseason due to salary cap constraints facing the Kansas City Chiefs.
It appears that there is always a way when there is a will.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs have agreed to a massive five-year contract that will make Jones the highest-paid
defensive tackle in NFL history. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the agreement is valued at $158.75 million.
Over the first three seasons, the contract promises $95 million, with an average salary of at least $34 million.
Let’s just say that Jones’ teammates were overjoyed to hear the news.
At the age of 29, Jones has already assembled a Hall of Fame career and appears to be growing better with age. He has become a
strong force in the middle for the Chiefs, making the Pro Bowl in each of the previous five seasons and was selected to the first team of
the All-Pro team in the last two. As Kansas City’s defense finally caught up to the team’s offensive prowess in 2023, the Mississippi
State product notched up 30 tackles and 10.5 sacks.
It will be intriguing to observe the kind of cap juggling the Chiefs employ to accommodate Jones within the salary cap. Currently,
Kansas City only has $1.3 million in space, but there are simple solutions. Rearranging the contracts of Joe Thuney, Travis Kelce, and
Patrick Mahomes will save up about $48.5 million. Restructuring Jawaan Taylor’s deal might also open up an additional $12.6 million
for the Chiefs, although it’s unlikely that they’ll want to put more money forward following a dismal 2023.
Additionally, Kansas City is still considering selling cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who was awarded the franchise tag and has a $19.8
million cap figure.
Chiefs fans will continue to rejoice about what turned out to be a nice weekend surprise despite those cap realities. Given that
Mahomes is spearheading the offensive attack and Jones is the defensive rock, Kansas City has every right to be excited about their
prospects of winning three titles in a row the next year.
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