The franchise tag period opened on Thursday and it didn’t take the Kansas City Chiefs long to decide what they wanted to do with star DT Chris Jones.
According to a new report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Chiefs plan to place the franchise tag on Jones. They’re hopeful that this isn’t a situation where Jones has to play on the tag this year. Instead, they’re using the franchise tag as a tool to buy more time for the team to come to an agreement with Jones’ representation on a long-term deal.
General manager Brett Veach previously mentioned that the franchise tag wasn’t off the table for Jones.
The #Chiefs are going to franchise tag star DL Chris Jones, sources say. Not a surprise, but Kansas City views him in their long-term plans and hopes to get a deal done at some point. The window opens officially today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2020
“Listen, it’s certainly a priority for us,” Veach said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “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.”
The decision to use the franchise tag on Jones makes plenty of sense for Kansas City. Negotiations with the Katz Brothers and Jones have gone well so far, but this gives them some options if the two parties can’t agree to a long-term extension. The Chiefs’ front office will have the option to keep Jones on the franchise tag, trade him or rescind the tag. Last season, the Chiefs used the franchise tag on LB Dee Ford before trading him to the San Francisco 49ers.
If Jones plays on the tag in 2020, he’ll receive a projected $15.5 million tender as a defensive tackle.