Chris Jones have a renewed contract that Real in Massive Chiefs Deal.
The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly agreed to terms on a long-term contract with defensive tackle Chris Jones on
Saturday night, securing the superstar defender’s spot in the Chiefs’ future — and in the team’s quest for the NFL’s
first-ever three-peat. But the initial details of Jones’s contract painted a slightly different picture than the real
numbers revealed. CHRIS JONES KC CHIEFS CONTRACT DETAILS Jones’s new deal was originally reported as a
five-year deal with “the highest average salary ever given to an NFL defensive tackle,” according to Adam Schefter.
A five-year deal would be surprising for Jones, who turns 30 in July. However, Schefter later clarified that “all the
money in the first three years—$95 million—is guaranteed.” That’s the part that matters. Chris Jones’s new
contract with the Chiefs appears to be essentially a three-year deal with $95 million guaranteed, worth $31.67
million per year on average. This deal looks familiar, pulled directly from one of Jones’s defensive tackle peers. In
In June 2022, the Los Angeles Rams agreed to a massive deal with Aaron Donald: three years, $95 million, essentially
guaranteed. (Donald’s deal gave him $65 million guaranteed over the first two years with an option to return in
2024 for an additional guaranteed $30 million, per Ian Rapoport. That deal covered Donald’s ages: 31, 32, and 33
seasons. For Jones, his next three years will have him playing at ages 30, 31, and 32. IS CHRIS JONES’S
EXTENSION GOOD FOR THE CHIEFS? Looking at the Aaron Donald deal puts this contract in perspective in a
variety of ways. The Chiefs essentially gave Jones the Donald deal but got Jones one year younger. It’s pretty
It is incredible that Jones has ascended to the point of earning “Aaron Donald money.” It’s a ton of money for a non-
quarterback, and three guaranteed years for the start of your 30s is a tremendous and rare thing for a player to
land, especially from the Chiefs. I’m not surprised that Jones got this deal this offseason, but I’m a little bit
surprised he got it from Kansas City and general manager Brett Veach. After last year’s negotiations broke down,
(and tumbled into the regular season), I didn’t think the Chiefs would budge all the way beyond the $30 million
mark annually, especially not while guaranteeing all three years. On Friday, I wrote that a contract projection that
essentially boiled down to a three-year, $90-95 million deal seemed unlikely to land Jones back in Kansas, considering
the team’s reluctance to sign older players to long-term deals. However, as is the case with 34-year-old teammate
Travis Kelce Jones isn’t an ordinary player. Jones has been the best and most key defender of the Chiefs’ still-in
progress dynasty, and it was hard to imagine them completing a potential three-peat without him at the center of
the defense. Ultimately, I think the Chiefs are betting on Jones still being at the top of his game at age 30 and 31
before being a top-level but perhaps not one-of-one player at age 32. If Jones can hold that pace and the Chiefs
bring home at least one Super Bowl in that stretch, both sides would get a fitting conclusion to Jones’s tremendous
Chiefs career. With that path in mind, I think this deal is the best ending that both sides could have hoped for, even
though I’m a bit surprised by the fully guaranteed age-32 season. If injuries or a significant drop-off hit Jones, KC
will be operating with one hand tied behind their backs from a salary cap management perspective. If he stays,
healthy and productive, he’ll be well worth the money. One other smaller note worth keeping in mind: the NFL
The salary cap jumped $30 million this year and is projected to continue rising annually. As the cap increases, the later
years of this deal (and all multi-year deals) will take up a smaller percentage of the cap than they did when the
Deals were signed. Teams and players know this, so it won’t exactly be unexpected free money in the couch
cushions as the cap rises, but it’s worth noting as the Chiefs plan their future salaries. Schefter also tweeted that
“Jones’ deal will include the highest-ever average annual DT salary,” but didn’t announce numbers at the time of
the publishing of this story. He also wrote that Jones would surpass Nick Bosa’s $34 million annual salary, but that
won’t matter if all the guaranteed money is in the first three years. As long as the first three years are essentially all
guaranteed and years four and five don’t have significant amounts of guaranteed money (perhaps beyond a
prorated signing bonus), feel free to ignore them. In the NFL, and in this deal especially, the guaranteed money is what matters.
