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Ben Arthur
AFC South Reporter
Chris Jones’ 2023 season began with a holdout, as he stayed away from the Chiefs for training camp and Week 1 in hopes of securing a new contract.
It ended with flashing his dominance in Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVIII victory Sunday over San Francisco, the franchise’s second straight Lombardi Trophy. The superstar defensive tackle had a team-high six pressures on 35 pass rushes, including on the third-and-4 play on the 49ers’ overtime possession that caused a Brock Purdy incompletion and forced a San Francisco field goal. Kansas City won with a touchdown on the ensuing drive.
With the dust settled, Jones and the Chiefs are back pondering questions with which they started last offseason: what is the future of their partnership?
The 29-year-old Jones is set to be an unrestricted free agent for the first time. We’re headed this way because the franchise tag, which the Chiefs used on the star defensive tackle in 2020 before eventually reaching terms on a deal, is essentially out of the question this year. Jones’ franchise tag number projects to be north of $32 million, or 120% of his salary last season — an astronomical figure that would force Kansas City to release or restructure the contracts of too many players. The team is currently set to have around $22.8 million in 2024 salary cap space, according to overthecap.com.
[2024 NFL free-agent top-50 rankings: Chris Jones, Kirk Cousins lead the way]
During Wednesday’s championship parade in Kansas City, Jones took the stage and pledged his desire to remain with the Chiefs.
“I need three of those rings, baby. We ain’t done yet,” he said. “Kansas City, we will be back here next year. And for those who want Chris Jones gone, I ain’t going nowhere, baby!”
Jones ended his holdout in September after reaching an agreement with the Chiefs on a new one-year, incentive-laden deal. In 16 games, he registered team highs with 29 quarterback…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/can-chiefs-bring-back-chris-jones-how-much-will-he-be-worth-in-free-agency
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Publish date : 2024-02-14 20:00:05
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