The Kansas City Chiefs have been consistent in their message: They want to keep pending free agent DT Chris Jones a member of the team.
General manager Brett Veach reiterated this notion to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday afternoon. He also added that the franchise tag is still on the table for Jones.
“Listen, it’s certainly a priority for us,” Veach said of re-signing Jones. “Sometimes these things take some time to work through. The franchise tag is something that we have the ability to use. We certainly would like to see if we could work something out with him. I think the tandem of Chris Jones and Frank Clark is something any team would want, and we’re going to work hard and see if we can get that done.”
Obviously, the Chiefs face some obstacles in adding Jones. They’re projected with just over $16 million in salary-cap space for the 2020 season. Signing Jones on a long-term contract is the preference over the franchise tag based on Veach’s comments above. Negotiations appear to be moving along with no significant impasse at this time.
“They have been ongoing,” Veach explained of discussions with Jones’ camp. “We actually have a meeting scheduled up here in the next couple of days. We had dialogue last offseason, we had dialogue prior to the seasons start. Chris (Jones) did a great job of blocking all that out and really just tackling the season. He handled it like a true pro and know we have the opportunity once this cycle comes back around to pick up where those conversations left off. Hopefully, we can make some headway and get something done.”
Jones, who is set to become a free agent at the start of the new league year, is expected to command a big contract, possibly exceeding the top contract for a defensive tackle. Jones has expressed interest in wanting to stay in Kansas City, especially following the Super Bowl 54 win. So far both sides have laid all their cards on the table according to Veach, making for a very tenable negotiation.
“All dialogue is good dialogue,” Veach explained. “The last thing you want is for something to go awry because there just wasn’t enough communication. You can’t have enough dialogue, and like I said they’ve been very open and honest with us. We’ve handled the situation in a very similar fashion. We’re looking forward to sitting down with his agents this week and continuing to pick up.”
The NFL recently delayed the franchise tag period by a few days. We should still know within the coming weeks whether Jones will remain in Kansas City and if it’ll be via long-term deal or the franchise tag. Right now, things are looking good but how the meetings go with Jones’ representatives this week will be key.
“What transpires in the next few weeks or months is to be determined,” Veach said. “But certainly our goal and intent is to keep [Chris Jones] in Kansas City.”