As the Kansas City Chiefs offseason continues with the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, there are still some burning questions left unresolved. The situation regarding the long-term future of defensive lineman Chris Jones is still a mystery in Kansas City after the franchise tag was placed on him for the upcoming season.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was open for questions during his pre-draft press conference regarding the team’s status on negotiations with Jones.
”Yeah, we’ve had a lot of discussions with Chris and the Katz brothers and we continue to have that. We’ve got a lot of time,” said Veach. ”Certainly, it’s a unique environment we’re working with, and we were able to navigate the free agency period and retain some guys. We’re going to work through the draft and we’re going to continue dialogue, but we know how talented Chris is, I think the franchise tag speaks for it.
“We also have a lot of time. I think the deadline to get a deal done is July 15. So, there’s a lot of time to continue the dialogue and to work on something with Chris, but we certainly are going to work to retain him, not just for next year, but for the future.”
The plan is still to retain Jones beyond the 2020 season with a long-term contract extension in mind. Perhaps complicating the matter, is the $84 million dollar contract extension the Indianapolis Colts handed to DT DeForest Buckner. That sets a new ceiling for a deal for Jones and makes things even more difficult for the Chiefs when it comes to agreeing to a long-term contract extension.
Jones has 33 sacks in four seasons as a member of the Chiefs. He recorded a career-high 15.5 sacks in 2018 and added another nine during their Super Bowl-winning season, despite missing multiple games with an injury. Jones also continues to be a team leader on the defensive side of the ball.
As the July 15th deadline to extend franchise-tagged players approaches, Veach has made it known that Jones is a priority. Only time will tell just how much Kansas City is willing to commit to Jones and if it will be for beyond the 2020 NFL season.
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