The Tremendous Bowl champion Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and defensive star Chris Jones have agreed to the framework of a five-year contract that features $95m assured and retains the All-Professional defensive sort out off the free-agent market, sources advised the Related Press.
The cash that’s assured is predicted to come back over the primary three years with one other two years that aren’t assured. The deal makes Jones the highest-paid defensive sort out in NFL historical past.
In the meantime, the New England Patriots appear to be they’ll transfer on from their former first-round choose at quarterback, Mac Jones. ESPN studies New England will commerce him to his hometown staff, the Jacksonville Jaguars, in return for a sixth-round choose when the brand new league yr begins on Wednesday. New England have the third general choose on this yr’s draft and can nearly actually take a quarterback, most definitely LSU’s Jayden Daniels or North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
The Patriots chosen Jones with the fifteenth choose of the 2021 draft, and he was given the intimidating activity of changing into Tom Brady’s long-term successor. He made the Professional Bowl and the playoffs in his first season however his play has declined since, and he flamed out spectacularly in 2023 and was finally changed by Bailey Zappe. He has 46 TD passes and 36 INTs in three NFL seasons. Jones will vie with 30-year-old CJ Beathard for Jacksonville’s backup spot, behind starter Trevor Lawrence. Jones will depend $4.96m in opposition to the staff’s wage cap within the remaining yr of his rookie contract. Beathard is scheduled to depend $2.4m within the remaining yr of his deal. The Jaguars are unlikely to maintain each on their 53-man roster to begin the season.
Chris Jones, who turns 30 in July, turns into one of many highest-paid defensive gamers within the NFL, falling simply behind the $34m common annual wage paid by the San Francisco 49ers to edge-rusher Nick Bosa. The deal eclipses the $31.6m common of Rams defensive sort out Aaron Donald, who had lengthy represented the monetary benchmark for a defensive participant.
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Jones’s brokers, Michael and Jason Katz, tweeted their congratulations in a put up on X, to “the highest-paid defensive sort out in NFL historical past.”
Jones tweeted moments later: “KC ….5 extra years of greatness! 3x”
Jones made it clear after the Chiefs beat the 49ers within the Tremendous Bowl final month, that he was desperate to chase a three-peat. However he first wanted to succeed in an settlement to stay in Kansas Metropolis, which had confirmed tough over the previous two offseasons.
Jones and the Chiefs had been at such an deadlock getting into the ultimate yr of his earlier contract that he skipped the whole offseason program, together with a compulsory minicamp and coaching camp, and Week 1 of the common season. Jones piled up practically $4m in fines earlier than agreeing to an incentive-laden one-year deal that received him again on the sector this previous season.
Jones responded by beginning each recreation the remainder of the best way, together with a meaningless regular-season finale in opposition to the Chargers, when he received the final sack he wanted to set off a $1.25m bonus in his contract.
Jones had one other half-sack in a wildcard win over Miami in one of many coldest video games in NFL historical past, then helped Kansas Metropolis win street video games over Buffalo and Baltimore to return to the Tremendous Bowl. In that recreation, the Chiefs fell behind early earlier than rallying to pressure extra time, then profitable the sport on Patrick Mahomes’ landing cross to Mecole Hardman.
The Chiefs have been aggressive in attempting to maintain the core of the league’s second-ranked protection collectively subsequent season.
Earlier within the week, the Chiefs used the franchise tag on L’Jarius Sneed, giving them the choice of holding among the finest cowl cornerbacks anticipated to hit free company on a $19.8m contract subsequent season. The Chiefs additionally might signal him to a long-term deal or commerce him, which not solely would supply some draft capital but additionally some wage cap aid.
Shortly after tagging Sneed, the Chiefs signed pending free-agent linebacker Drue Tranquill to a $19m, three-year deal that included a $4.5m signing bonus and $12.5m assured. Tranquill signed a one-year cope with Kansas Metropolis comparatively late in free company final yr, however he emerged as one of many unsung heroes of coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s protection.
There may be nothing unsung about Jones, although. The fearsome defensive sort out has been a game-wrecker nearly because the second Kansas Metropolis drafted him within the second spherical out of Mississippi State in 2016. Jones moved into the beginning lineup by the sixth recreation of his rookie season, earned second-team All-Professional honors whereas piling up 15 1/2 sacks in 2018, after which started a run of 5 straight Professional Bowls the next yr.
He was voted a first-team All-Professional for the second straight season this previous yr. And whereas it’s unclear whether or not that drove up his value, it nearly actually made holding him in Kansas Metropolis a precedence for the Chiefs with the beginning of free company on Wednesday.