Chris Jones and the Kansas City Chiefs have yet to agree on a contract that would satisfy the defensive tackle enough to show up in time for Kansas City's Week 1 game. And Kansas City, having the opening Thursday night game against the Detroit Lions, is running up against a deadline if they want him in the building for Week 1.
Not only would having the Pro Bowl tackle back in the facility be great just from a talent and roster perspective, but having Jones present for the pregame festivities that will recognize and celebrate Kansas City's Super Bowl win at least momentarily would be sentimentally positive.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Jones and the Chiefs are picking up steam on discussions related to his new deal. That's good news. So, what might a deal look like?
NFL insider sheds light on what a Chris Jones-Chiefs deal would look like
Quoting a report from Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio indicating that Jones isn't trying to out-earn Aaron Donald as was widely believed, Albert Breer discussed what he thinks the deal would look like:
Here's the rub from the PFT report: The Chiefs have offered $74 million for three years to Jones. Jones wants $84.5 million over three (Donald earns $95 over three).
Breer points out that the $74 million over three years puts him right below Donald as one of the highest-paid defensive players in the league. Of course, Nick Bosa is expected to get Donald-like money, so that shakes things up on the market, too.
Jones, though, appears to be willing to split the difference between the Chiefs offer and Donald's $90 million figure. There could be a staring match between the two parties leading up to Thursday who may not want to budge much.
The days are counting down. As far as what happens if Thursday comes and goes with no deal, it's anyone's guess. It seems as if the Chiefs are more motivated to keep Jones in the building than they were Tyreek Hill, but a trade could be on the table if the season kicks off and a deal is not yet done.
