Deadlines spur action is what they typically say about the NFL at this time of year.
The Kansas City Chiefs were reported as planning to use their franchise tag on DT Chris Jones during the NFL Scouting Combine just a few weeks ago. The Chiefs still haven’t officially placed the franchise tag on Jones, despite that report occurring days ago. This has created some concern among the Chiefs Kingdom that Jones might hit free agency.
As the franchise tag period is set to close at 11:59 AM ET on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Chiefs still plan to use the franchise tag on Jones.
No surprise, but Chiefs are placing franchise tag on DT Chris Jones today, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2020
As we await official word from Kansas City on the pending franchise tag for Jones, the thing that fans should be wondering is whether he’ll get the exclusive or non-exclusive franchise tag. If he receives the non-exclusive tag, he can sign an offer sheet with another team. The Chiefs will have the ability to match that contract offer or they could choose to let Jones go and receive two first-round picks as compensation. If he receives the exclusive tag, Jones can still be traded, but the Chiefs will be able to negotiate compensation instead of receiving a preset amount.
This could be an option for Kansas City this year as signing Jones to a long-term contract will be quite difficult given other contract commitments.