Shortly after quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed his recent contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs, he reached out to teammate Chris Jones, who was also hoping for a new deal.
“Pat texted me and said, ‘Let’s do this thing. I left some [money] on the table for you. That’s when I had that security that I and the leaders were going to find a solution, ”Jones said Monday.
Jones was right. The defensive tackle and the Chiefs agreed to a long-term contract days later. The deal could earn Jones up to $ 85 million over the next four years.
The new contract allows Jones, 26, to continue his career with the Chiefs, the team that drafted him in the second round in 2016. It will also allow him to continue his legacy as one of the best assistants in the world. the NFL. Jones has led the Chiefs in the sacks each of the past two seasons, scoring 15.5 in 2018 and nine last year.
“For me, nothing has changed,” Jones said. “It’s always about being the best I can be. It’s always about being the leader of the bag and being the defensive player of the year. I always push myself to new heights. .. It’s about having a Hall of Fame career, getting a gold jacket.
“If someone said to me, ‘You could take $ 20 million or 20 bags,’ I would take all 20 bags any day. This is where I think, where my heart is: getting bags, winning championship rings, having fun, enjoying it. This is where I am right now. I love bags with passion. I love to rush by. I could wake up everyday and I could go by fast everyday. It’s my passion, it’s my dream, it’s my goal. It’s the love of my life.”
For these reasons, the Chiefs felt comfortable giving Jones the long-term contract he had long wanted.
“Over the past few years, Chris has truly proven to be an elite player in his role and truly one of the best defensive players in the National Football League,” said general manager Brett Veach. “For everything he’s already accomplished on the pitch, we certainly think he’s only scratching the surface with his age and talent.”
It took the Chiefs and Jones a while to get there. Jones resisted off-season training last year in hopes of securing a new contract, although he showed up on time for training camp although that did not happen .
The parties initially couldn’t come to an agreement this year, so the Chiefs kept Jones out of the free agent market by making him their franchise player. The long-term deal was only reached last week. Chiefs first had to clear a salary cap space (they had $ 177 at one point to work under the cap) and then complete negotiations with Mahomes over his 10-year extension, all amid a pandemic. .
The Chiefs proceeded slowly with the contracts for Mahomes and Jones due to uncertainty over future salary cap levels.
“We definitely had some hurdles to overcome,” Veach said. “We have been motivated and determined all this time. … Our plan was to do a lot of the things that we did in the offseason, but right at the top of that list were Pat Mahomes and Chris Jones.
“That’s why it took a while. We were just trying to go through all the scenarios. We don’t know where the cap is going to be, but we need to have plans ready and in place to see if that develops. [or] remains the same [or] dive. … we have enough game plans in place to protect ourselves and we felt good. “
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