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In terms of the NFL’s best interior defensive linemen, Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones is as good as they come. The 25-year-old trails only Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald for Pro Football Focus’ highest pass-rush grade among 3-technique defensive tackles over the past four seasons.
Now set to hit the free agent market for the first time in his NFL career, Jones is due a massive payday based on his production, age, and ability to disrupt a game from a position not typically relied on to do so.
This week, PFF analyst Anthony Treash took a deeper look into the 2020 free agent class and predicted the landing spots of the website’s projected top 50 free agents. While Jones cracked the top 10 overall free agents available, his predicted landing spot is unlikely to sit well with Chiefs Kingdom.
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7. DI CHRIS JONES – INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Projected contract: 4 years, $18 million per year ($52 million guaranteed)
With just $13.7 million in cap space and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes still needing an extension, the Chiefs have to be careful with who they sign this offseason to sustain long-term success. Chris Jones is one of the best 3-techniques in the entire NFL. If it weren’t for Aaron Donald‘s dominance, Jones would own the highest pass-rush grade at 3-tech over the past four years. As our own Eric Eager broke down earlier this week, a likely scenario for the Chiefs is to apply the franchise tag to Jones and trade him for draft compensation. Indianapolis is a candidate for this type of deal, as they own two second-round picks and are desperate for pass-rush help, particularly on the interior where they ranked 29th of 32 teams in pressure rate generated.
As suggested in this trade scenario, Kansas City’s desired return would likely feature draft picks of greater value than the expected third-round compensatory pick the team could receive in 2021 should they lose Jones outright in free agency.
According to Spotrac’s Market Value tool, Jones is projected to earn an average annual salary in the $19.2 million range on his next deal. That total would rightfully place him among the league’s top five defensive linemen, directly behind teammate DE Frank Clark who signed a five-year, $104 million extension following his trade from Seattle to Kansas City last April.
Chiefs GM Calls Jones a “Priority”
Chris Jones’ past and potential future value to the Chiefs organization is understood by all those who have witnessed his presence on and off the field since being drafted by the team in 2016.
On Friday, Kansas City general manager Brett Veach, who will play a crucial role in the decision to keep No. 95 in a Chiefs uniform, spoke to team reporter BJ Kissel ahead of next week’s highly anticipated NFL Scouting Combine. Among the topics discussed during the “In The Trenches” podcast was the overall free agency strategy and where the Pro Bowl defensive tackle fits into the team’s plans this offseason.
“Chris is obviously a great player and he’s a priority,” said Veach. “We have a lot of priorities and we know how hard it is to win a Super Bowl — hadn’t done it in 50 years, and we won it with the group we had last year. So I think that as we attack this offseason and first up, it’s free agency before the draft, our goal and our mindset is to do whatever we can to retain as many players as we can, and Chris is at the top of that list because of the talent he is. We have a lot of tough decisions to make, but our goal and our intent is to retain as much of this team and keep intact as much of this team as possible.”
With projected salary cap space in the $13-16 million range, nearly two dozen impending free agents and a long-term contract extension for QB Patrick Mahomes reportedly in the works, retaining Jones will present a unique challenge for the front office. At a minimum, recent comments from both sides indicate mutual interest in getting a deal done to keep Jones around for at least one more year.
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