Why Chris Jones’ new Chiefs contract took awhile, and how it all fell into place
As the movement on his long-term contract absorbed a leisurely pace, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones received the news of a star teammate’s half-billion dollar extension. Potentially a moment of exasperation, Jones instead reminded himself of his faith, procured from a childhood on the perfectly named Church Street in Houston, Mississippi.
“Whatever happens,” Jones told himself, “God has me covered.”
His first message of patience came from himself. His next came from an unlikely source.
The man who did get the contract.
Only moments after signing an extension to remain in Kansas City for the next dozen years, quarterback Patrick Mahomes pulled out his phone and texted Jones, a teammate waiting for his own payday.
“Pat texted me and said, ‘Let’s get this thing done. I left some on the table. Let’s get this thing done,’” Jones recalled Monday. “And that’s when I had the security that me and the Chiefs were going to work something out. I was confident they were going to make sure we’d get something done.”
The contract fell into place only one week later, a four-year extension worth at least $80 million that can grow to $85 with incentives.
After an offseason built around a slogan of returning the bulk of the team that won Super Bowl LIV for another go, Mahomes put it into practice. First with a contract that left the salary cap unaltered in the short-term. And then with a reminder to Jones.
“For me, it just shows the understanding me and Pat have about creating a dynasty in Kansas City,” Jones said. “We both have the same goals — create a dynasty, build something special, especially in Kansas City with Coach (Andy) Reid and all the talent we have there. We all have the same mindset — we want to keep this team together. So whatever we have to do financially to make sure that we stay together and we also keep guys around us together, we can come together and do that.”
The agreement exhausted enough time that Jones issued a tweet referencing the possibility of sitting out a season in the absence of a long-term deal. Asked Monday if he would have followed through on that rather than playing on the franchise tag, Jones simply said he remained optimistic it wouldn’t come to that decision.
During an offseason unlike any other, the Chiefs’ initial ask from Jones and his representation centered less on money.
Instead, they requested time.
They wanted the Mahomes’ extension in place before tidying the next piece of the puzzle. And they wanted to gather more information on the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With league-wide revenue likely to take a hit this season — and potentially a significant one — the salary cap could (and likely will) soon follow. Those figures are based on the previous season’s revenue. Squeezing Jones’ number under the cap, in other words, added an unforeseen dimension when Chiefs general manager Brett Veach stood at a podium during the NFL Scouting Combine in February and referred to Jones as a top priority.
“We certainly had some obstacles to overcome,” Veach said. He added, “Certainly, we don’t know yet (what the cap will be). That’s really why this took some time. We were just trying to go through all the scenarios. Again, we don’t know where the cap is going to be. But we have to have plans in place for whether it grows, stays the same, it dips (and) at what levels. ...
“But once we got to a level where we felt comfortable over the next few years that we have enough game-planning in place to protect ourselves, we felt good.”
They locked in a player whose production from the interior defensive line is unquestioned. Jones has 33 sacks since his arrival in Kansas City via the 2016 NFL Draft, 24 1/2 coming in the past two seasons.
On Monday, he spoke often of a career he expects will finish with a Hall of Fame induction one day.
“One of the things that got taken the wrong way was our commitment and appreciation for Chris Jones,” Veach said. “The whole time, Chris and his agents knew how much we loved him. We were absolutely going to do everything we could to keep him here.”
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Why Chris Jones’ new Chiefs contract took awhile, and how it all fell into place."