KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Defensive tackle Chris Jones said this in February about returning to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, though the words came in the chaotic moments after his team won Super Bowl LIV: “I want to be a Chief for life. I plan to stay here forever. Win not only one championship [but] two, three, four. We've got to build a dynasty here.”
During less emotional times last week, Jones seemed to have changed his mind, tweeting this:
" hope that they know that I love em but, all good things must come to an end"....@iamkevingates
— Chris Jones (@StoneColdJones) March 13, 2020
The choice of whether to play for the Chiefs in 2020 rests squarely with Jones. After the sides couldn’t come to an agreement on a long-term contract, the Chiefs will designate him as their franchise player, which would earn him an estimated $16.1 million for one year.
That would be a huge raise for Jones, the Chiefs’ second-round draft pick in 2016. He made a base salary of about $1.2 million last season.
It would still lag far behind the average pay of teammate and defensive end Frank Clark, who last season signed a five-year contract with the Chiefs that would pay him $21 million per season. Jones led the Chiefs in sacks with 15.5 in 2018 and again in 2019 with 9.0, one more than Clark.
Few NFL players have Jones' ability as an inside pass-rusher. He has been a remarkably consistent player. In 2018, he set an NFL record with at least one sack in 11 straight games. He had a big game in Super Bowl LIV against the 49ers. He knocked down three of Jimmy Garoppolo’s passes and his pressure on Garoppolo on one second-quarter play led to an interception.
Jones could attract a trade offer from one or more teams that not only want a player of his caliber but are in better financial position than the Chiefs to meet his long-term demands. The Chiefs are familiar with trades involving franchise players. That’s how they acquired Clark last year from the Seattle Seahawks. They also dealt their own 2019 franchise player, Dee Ford, to the San Francisco 49ers.
