The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and defensive star Chris Jones have agreed to a framework of a five-year contract that includes a $95 million guarantee and keeps the All-Pro defensive tackle out of the free agent market, sources told the Associated Press.
The guaranteed money is expected to come in the first three years, followed by another two years that are not guaranteed. The deal makes Jones the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.
Jones, who turns 30 in July, will become one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL, just shy of the $34 million average annual salary the San Francisco 49ers pay edge rusher Nick Bosa. The deal eclipses Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s $31.6 million average, which has long represented the financial benchmark for a defensive player.
Jones’ agents, Michael and Jason Katz, tweeted their congratulations in a post on X, calling “the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.”
Jones tweeted moments later: “KC…5 more years of greatness! 3x”
Jones made it clear after the Chiefs beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl last month that he was eager to chase a three-peat. But he first had to come to an agreement to stay in Kansas City, which had proven difficult the past two seasons.
Jones and the Chiefs were at such an impasse entering the final year of his previous contract that he skipped the entire offseason program, including a mandatory minicamp and training camp, and Week 1 of the regular season. Jones racked up nearly $4 million in fines before agreeing to a one-year contract that put him back on the field this past season.
Jones responded by starting every game the rest of the way, including a meaningless regular-season finale against the Chargers, when he got the final sack he needed to earn a $1.25 million bonus in his contract activate.
Jones had another half-sack in a wild-card win over Miami in one of the coldest games in NFL history, then helped Kansas City win road games over Buffalo and Baltimore to return to the Super Bowl. In that game, the Chiefs fell behind early before rallying to force overtime, then won the game on Patrick Mahomes’ touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman.
The Chiefs have been aggressive in their efforts to keep the core of the league’s second-ranked defense together next season.
Earlier this week, the Chiefs used the franchise tag on L’Jarius Sneed, giving them the option to retain one of the top cover cornerbacks expected to hit free agency next season with a $19.8 million contract. The Chiefs could also sign him to a long-term deal or trade him, which would not only provide some draft capital but also some salary cap relief.
Shortly after tapping Sneed, the Chiefs signed soon-to-be free-agent linebacker Drue Tranquill to a three-year, $19 million deal that included a $4.5 million signing bonus and $12.5 million guaranteed. Tranquill signed a one-year deal with Kansas City relatively late in free agency last year, but he emerged as one of the unsung heroes of coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.
However, there is nothing unsung about Jones. The fearsome defensive tackle has been a game-wrecker since Kansas City drafted him in the second round out of Mississippi State in 2016. Jones entered the starting lineup in the sixth game of his rookie season and earned second-team All-All-One. Pro honors while piling up 15 1/2 sacks in 2018, and the following year he began a run of five straight Pro Bowls.
He was named first-team All-Pro for the second straight season this past year. And while it’s unclear whether that drove up his price, it almost certainly made keeping him in Kansas City a priority for the Chiefs with the start of free agency Wednesday.