KC Chiefs: Four remaining free agents who could help in 2020
By Kole Berrey
Jadeveon Clowney, Edge, Seattle Seahawks
Okay, wait. Please don’t leave and think I am a hack. I know the Chiefs’ cap is tight right now, and that the Chiefs have no shot of signing Jadeveon Clowney with the way things are at this point. Hear me out though. There is a precedent on the Chiefs making a move like this, and it all revolves around Chris Jones.
Chris Jones is the Chiefs most dominant defensive player, with all respect to Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu. His contract negotiations have reflected that. He knows his worth, and the Chiefs may not be able to pay it.
That may be even more true now that DeForest Buckner has signed for $21 million annually. Make no mistake, Jones has had a better career to this point and he deserves every bit as Buckner, if not more.
The thing is, Buckner was also traded before his extension, and it netted the 49ers the 13th overall pick in the draft. How does this all tie in to Clowney? Well, let’s look at Dee Ford to see how the Chiefs could pull of a Chris Jones contingency plan.
Last year, the Chiefs decided they didn’t want to pay Dee Ford, so they traded him to San Francisco for a second round pick, and then in turn gave a massive contract to Frank Clark. The Chiefs could do the same thing here; Trade Jones for draft capital, and then in turn pay Jadeveon Clowney.
Cloweny is still a free agent, and it is reasonable to think that is because he is not getting the money that he wants, which means we can probably assume that he is going to eventually sign for less than or right at what Chris Jones is asking for. The Chiefs could turn Jones into a first round pick, sign Clowney for less than Jones is asking for, and still end up with a dominant player on the defensive front.
The Chiefs also have the pieces to stomach a Jones loss. Derrick Nnadi, Khalen Saunders, Mike Pennel and even Breeland Speaks could all fill in on the interior, while Frank Clark, Jadeveon Clowney and Alex Okafor man the edge.
Don’t get me wrong, the best course of action is still to just re-sign Jones. If contract talks start to deteriorate, however, adding Cloweny and a first round pick for the same price as Chris Jones would not be all that bad.