Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach’s job is a bit more difficult after a big trade took place on Monday.
The San Francisco 49ers sent DT DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in a blockbuster trade. San Francisco received the No. 13 overall pick in return from the Indianapolis. Colts general manager Chris Ballard promptly signed Buckner to a contract extension, making him the second-highest-paid defensive tackle in the league. Numerous reports say that Buckner will receive $21 million per year on a 5-year contract. That number lands him just behind Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald.
That $21 million annually is the new baseline for the Kansas City Chiefs, who will attempt to sign DT Chris Jones to a long-term contract extension. Jones was franchise tagged just ahead of the deadline, but the team has until July 15 to sign him to a long term deal. Jones has always known his worth and it has only gone up since he’s become a Super Bowl champion.
Chiefs DE Frank Clark is currently the highest-paid player on the roster, earning $20.8 million annually and $104 million over five years. Jones already wanted more than Clark was making and with Buckner’s new deal he’ll have even more leverage. Kansas City could pay Jones the same $21 million a year, the same amount that Buckner is reportedly being paid, reaching a five-year total of $105 million. The problem: It’s really difficult to have two contracts of this size, especially with the contract for QB Patrick Mahomes somewhere down the line.
If the Chiefs are unwilling to pay Jones they have to option to trade him. In addition to setting the contract value for an all-pro DT, Buckner also set the trade value. Veach can now ask for a first-round pick or the equivalent as compensation in a trade for Jones and work from there. The issue is finding a suitor outside of the AFC conference that has the draft capital, desire and ability to trade for and sign Jones. Signing Jones won’t be easy for Kansas City, but trading him will be a challenge in its own right.