Could the Chiefs still get a Chris Jones deal done this year? Schefty provides the latest.
One week into the 2023 season, the Chiefs and Chris Jones haven't yet agreed to a long-term extension to keep the star defensive tackle in Kansas City. It's a sticking point that has caused Chiefs fans to worry about Jones' immediate and long-term future with the team as Jones has continued to hold out going into Week 2's matchup against the Jaguars.
The Chiefs' desire to cement their dynasty this year will turn into a Herculean task without their star defender on the field, and this past weekend, there has been curiously very little said about Jones' ongoing situation.
Leave it to ESPN's Adam Schefter to tease fans with a bit of news. On Monday's episode of the Pat McAfee Show, Schefter shared his thoughts on Jones' contract standoff with the Chiefs, comparing the situation to that of Nick Bosa in San Francisco.
Schefter told McAfee: "The thing that I learned last week that was interesting is that on the morning that Nick Bosa signed, I was told from both sides, there are huge gaps, huge gaps. And then the deal gets done six hours later."
The 49ers made Bosa the highest-paid defensive player in the league last Wednesday in both annual average salary ($34 million) and total guarantees ($122.5 million). The news came abruptly after weeks of speculation about Bosa's future, and Schefter suggests the same could happen with Jones in Kansas City.
Chiefs will extend Chris Jones at some point this year, per Adam Schefter
Schefter said, "My point is like it doesn't really matter what anybody says, Chris Jones at some point is gonna get this deal done and it's probably gonna be rather quick and sudden whether that's today, tomorrow, next week, next month... You can close the gap pretty quick."
It doesnt really matter what anybody says, Chris Jones at some point is gonna get this deal done. Adam SchefterSchefter's reassuring words bring a mild wave of relief to Chiefs fans but don't necessary guarantee anything. It's the ESPN insider's personal belief that the Chiefs and Chris Jones will get a deal done -- things could be looking very differently inside the Chiefs front office.
Jones intimated on social media that he could afford to hold out, essentially ripping up weekly game checks, until Week 8 of the regular season. The defensive tackle just lost roughly $1.1 million from missing the Chiefs' season-opener on Thursday against the Lions along with $2 million worth of fines from missing training camp.
Jones is in the final year of a four-year, $80 million deal he signed in 2020 and has since simplified his stance: "All I'm doing is asking for a raise." It could be time for the Chiefs to pay the piper soon.
