Chris Jones and the Kansas City Chiefs have beaten the July 15 buzzer to get a longterm deal hammered out. The defensive tackle has agreed to mega-extension with the franchise that will keep him with the club for the next four years, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The deal is worth $85 million and Jones will see $60 million guaranteed.
Jones was hit with the franchise tag earlier this offseason and would have made $16.1 million if he played the 2020 campaign under the tag. The Chiefs had until 4 p.m. ET on July 15 before the negotiating window for the two sides to speak about a longterm deal closed, so they are narrowly getting by with this extension. Jones did hint at a potential holdout if he didn’t reach an agreement on an extension so this is a promising development on multiple levels for the Chiefs. Under this extension, Jones will get $37 million at signing and the deal includes $5 million in incentives, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The 26-year-old has been with the Chiefs since the team selected him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State and from that point he’s evolved into one of the best defensive tackles in the league. He enjoyed a breakout season in 2018 when he was named second-team All-Pro after totaling 15.5 sacks, and continued his ascent last season when he was able to total nine sacks and 36 tackles in 13 regular-season games. Over the course of four-year career, Jones has put up 33 sacks, 72 quarterback hits, seven forced fumbles, and 136 tackles in 61 regular-season games.
Jones was particularly impactful during Kansas City’s Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers this past season where he applied constant pressure on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as the Chiefs were able to win their first championship in 50 years. In that game, Jones batted down three passes while clogging up the middle of the line, playing in 83% of the defensive snaps.
This contract also comes off the heels of Patrick Mahomes inking his 10-year extension with Kansas City that’s worth up to $503 million, so the Chiefs are locking up two of their superstars on both sides of the ball as they try to become the next great dynasty in the NFL.
—CBS SPORTS