The contentious player for the Chiefs has finally changed his mind and signed a new contract with the team after being…..
With $6.75 million in incentives attached to his contract, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to persuade defensive tackle Chris Jones to end his summerlong holdout this week. Even without having to give Jones a long-term contract extension or guarantee him additional money, the Chiefs had already won.
However, for those who are curious about how NFL teams allocate their finances, Kansas City’s strategy of keeping that $6.75 million off their 2023 salary cap is commendable.
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How the Chiefs Conceived Chris Jones’s Bonus Bundle
Entering his last season under contract with the Chiefs, Jones was originally expected to receive a $500,000 workout bonus in 2023 in addition to a $19.5 million base salary. $28.292 million would have been his cap charge.
However, by missing Kansas City’s offseason program, Jones was unable to receive the workout bonus. For skipping the mandatory 42-day training camp and minicamp, he was also fined about $2.3 million by the Chiefs.
Jones’s Week 1 game check will also be forfeited because he missed Kansas City’s season opener against the Detroit Lions. That will come at the expense of $1.083 million, or 1/18th of his $19.5 million pay.
In total, Jones gave up $3.7 million during the summer and the start of the regular season. By completing the following, he can recoup $6.75 million in incentives:
$35,000 worth of defensive plays for the Chiefs
One million more dollars for half the playtime
For ten sacks, $1.25 million
An extra $500,000 to purchase 15 sacks
$1 million for a Chiefs Super Bowl appearance and an All-Pro first team selection
Defensive Player of the Year and the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory brought in $2 million.
It will be very difficult for Jones to fulfill many of those incentives, particularly the ones that are connected to season-ending honors and Kansas City’s postseason success. It’s challenging to contend that the Chiefs didn’t win this negotiation.
Not only that, Kansas City also found a way to exempt Jones’ incentives from their 2023 salary cap. The Chiefs used their creativity to get around the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, which normally states that any new incentives added in-season must be deemed “likely to be earned” and count against a club’s cap.
According to Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick, Kansas City included Jones’ incentive in a 2024 option bonus. The $6.75 million total will not hit the Chiefs’ cap in 2023, but rather be distributed over the four void years Kansas City added to Jones’ contract.
According to Over the Cap, the Chiefs have $1.37 million in prorated Jones money from each of the years 2024–2027 on file. All that money will, however, immediately apply to their 2024 cap if they choose not to re-sign Jones in the upcoming offseason. Any remaining cap space will be credited to Kansas City for the following season if Jones doesn’t use all of his incentives.
The Chiefs are among the NFL teams with the most cap restrictions. They could not have fit Jones’ incentives on their ledger, even if they had wanted to, because they only have $1.99 million in available cap space.
Rather than risk financial instability, the Chiefs’ front office came up with a creative solution that not only persuaded Jones to come back but also avoided financial risk, at least not in terms of accounting.
Can Chris Jones be Tagged by the Chiefs Franchise in 2024?
Sure. In his amended contract, Jones did not receive a no-franchise tag clause; therefore, his deal will be nullified prior to the NFL’s franchise tender deadline.
However, there are limitations. In other words, Jones’ franchise tag figure would be between $32 million and $33 million if Kansas City was willing to give him a 120% raise over his 2023 salary.
Although we’ve already seen how difficult those talks with Jones can get, the Chiefs could also attempt to negotiate an extension. However, Jones claimed that neither his relationship with Kansas City nor the club’s decision-makers was harmed by his prolonged holdout.
“I believe that you, the reporters and fans, kind of [understand] the contract thing,” Jones remarked. Jones stated, “It’s never personal.” “I doubt I would grow to despise coach Reid or grow to dislike (general manager Brett) Veach.” I adore Veach. I’m sure he knows I adore him. We spoke intermittently during the entire thing. I also adore Coach Reid.
Our relationship was unaffected in any way by that, in my opinion. They are aware of the extent of my love for this team and organization. Furthermore, I don’t believe that had any impact on our relationship at all.
