KC Chiefs: Short-term deal with Chris Jones crazy solution
By John McCarty
A potential solution for the KC Chiefs regarding the Chris Jones mess could be a short-term deal. It’s not likely and probably not favored by either side plus it’s crazy. That just might be why it works.
Everyone and their brother has their opinions on what exactly the Chris Jones contract situation is and how it can be resolved for the Kansas City Chiefs. There are some that believe Jones could sign a shorter multi-year deal, ones that believe he will receive a long-term deal as he hopes, and some foolishly think allowing him to play on a franchise tag is a good idea.
There is a fourth option here, however, and it’s an entertaining one.
All are intriguing options, though this all could have been avoided last offseason if the Chiefs had simply signed the player to a contract last offseason instead of wasting money waiting to potentially get a deal done or risk Jones playing for a new team next season.
We all know that Chris Jones wants to hit the market and get paid, and that not being paid last offseason, to some degree, hurt his feelings. You could see and hear that with his interactions with the media this season.
The Chiefs would like to get a deal done with Jones, but appear to have a difference of opinion on his value. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t be writing this piece. What is a way Jones can kind of get what he wants while the Chiefs kind of get what they want?
Here’s my pitch: Chris Jones can sign a one-year deal with the Chiefs with a mechanism ensuring the Chiefs are unable to use any tag designations next offseason. That’s when it appears the salary cap is likely to rise significantly, where young 26 year old defensive tackles in free agency get paid a king’s ransom.
The Chiefs would be able to get Jones for the 2020 season for a lower cap value than what the franchise tag is, which is a benefit they pay for by guaranteeing Jones he can’t be tagged after the upcoming season. The Chiefs would lose all leverage in negotiations, but then again, they would surrender leverage the moment they use the franchise tag and the draft passes. At that point, it’s Jones’ show.
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So what would this situation look like? Here’s my guess.
It would be a one-year deal at $2 million. The kicker would be the $12 million roster bonus Jones would receive before the start of the 2020 season. That way, by the time Chris Jones shows up to St. Joe for training camp, he has a massive chunk of change in his bank account, which is something he’s very much looking for.
The contract would technically call for additional salaries past the 2020 season, money that obviously will not be paid out because of the contract void date (The Chiefs did something similar with Tamba Hali years ago in an effort to prorate a signing bonus).
Follow that up with the knowledge he’s hitting the market. With the contract voiding, that ensures the Chiefs are unable to tag the defensive tackle and thus limit his options on the open market. Do that, and Jones will likely to easily blow past the Aaron Donald contract, which if you haven’t read any of my work, is six years and $135 million with $86.892 million in total guaranteed.
Again, do I think this happens? Not at all.
Why might both sides agree to this?
The Chiefs get Jones in training camp and in games, both of which are in jeopardy of a franchise tag holdout. They also save about $3 million against the 2020 salary cap as this deal is for less than the franchise tag number. Jones gets a big chunk of change and gets to hit the 2021 market without any designations hurting his value.