On Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs ensured they could place the franchise tag on Chris Jones for the 2024 season. Does that mean he’ll sign a new deal with the Chiefs?
Fresh off his back-to-back Super Titles, All-Pro Defensive End Chris Jones intends to be with the team next season and beyond. He was the heaviest chanter of the Three-Peat banter at the podium at Wednesday’s rally. He also made it clear he’s not going anywhere.
Though the two sides had a contentious contract battle last summer that didn’t end until after the Chiefs played their first regular season game in 2023, they now control part of his future.
The procedural move allows the Chiefs to place the franchise tag on Jones and pay him the $4.25M incentives he earned last season in exchange for the option to place the franchise tag on him for the second year in a row.
In restructuring his contract last September, without his agents’ advice, the Katz Brothers, Jones, and General Manager Brett Veach hammered out an agreement that would pay Jones the one-year money he sought and cover his fines for his ill-advised holdout.
Within that agreement, Veach insisted on language that if the incentives were earned, the Chiefs could place the franchise tag on their star defender. On Friday, the Chiefs exercised that option. Now, they have until March 5th to place the official tag on Jones.
The Chiefs would like to re-sign Jones in the next several weeks. Still, anything can happen, but the two sides appear to have a mutual interest in attempting to get it done before March 5th. It remains to be seen what hometown deal he will give the Chiefs, but based on his comments at the rally on Wednesday, the two sides will get something done.
If Veach can get a new contract with Jones, he has the flexibility to place the franchise tag on Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, giving him more time to work out a contract extension with the Chiefs’ best secondary player. He also has other defenders, such as Tommy Townsend, Drue Tranquill, Mike Danna, and Willie Gay, who are all unrestricted free agents.
The big question will be if the Katz Brothers are involved or not.
