If the Chiefs do trade Chris Jones, where may he wind up?
The Kansas City Chiefs seem intent on keeping Chris Jones despite his cryptic tweets, and it's tough to blame them. Jones, now on the wrong side of 30 (trust me, I'm there, too), is coming off his best season and routinely applies pressure on some of the best quarterbacks in football.
While the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes leading the way at the quarterback position, a key facet to both of their Super Bowl teams is that they win at the line of scrimmage. If Kansas City willingly trades Jones away, they arguably lose that X-factor.
KC general manager Brett Veach doesn't want to trade Jones, even admitting on the record that he needs a new contract.
"He's a great player, and he wants a big contract. He deserves a big contract, and I don't think there's any surprises in that regard," Veach said Monday, h/t Sports Illustrated. "But there's just some hurdles we have to work through in regards to how we can keep this thing going for the short- and long-term. But we've never wavered on, 'This is a guy that we want to exhaust all of our efforts to get done,' because that's how much we think of him."
So, the far more likely outcome is that Jones and Veach eventually reach a compromise. But what if things go south?
NFL Rumors: A Bears trade package for Chiefs star Chris Jones
Ryan Poles is very familiar with Jones from his time with the Chiefs front office. He knows that Jones can be a gamebreaker. Justin Fields is on the rise this coming season and the next, so the Bears would rather keep a vast majority of their future first-round selections with the hope of building around him. Four draft picks may seem like a lot for a 30-year-old defensive tackle, but Jones is coming off an 15.5-sack season.
KC will likely prefer two firsts in return for Jones, but in this case they receive more overall early draft capital, which should benefit them in the long run. When you have the scouting department that Kansas City has, the more picks, the merrier.
NFL Rumors: A Lions trade package for Chiefs star Chris Jones
The Lions were just one game away from reaching the postseason last year, and they're expected to be in the mix for the NFC North title now that Aaron Rodgers has taken his talents to New York. The Lions upgraded their secondary big-time in the offseason with additions like C.J. Gardner-Johnson and more. Should they wish to add some serious defensive line talent alongside Aidan Hutchinson, Jones is the big-ticket item.
Unlike the Bears trade package, the Lions could include back-to-back firsts to sweeten the pot some. In doing so, they don't necessarily have to throw in any second-round selections, meaning they can still add plenty of talent around their young core after they sign Jones long-term.
The obvious dilemma here for the Lions is if they don't think Jared Goff is the quarterback who will lead them to the Super Bowl. Should they wish to take their QB of the future in the next two seasons, they would have to trade up, which would come at quite the expense without firsts of their own to flip.
NFL Rumors: A Texans trade package for Chiefs star Chris Jones
The Houston Texans spent a first-round selection on Will Anderson this past draft cycle, as well as selecting their QB of the future in C.J. Stroud. In terms of a young core, DeMeco Ryans and Co. are building the right way, but is it too soon to take a big swing for someone like Chris Jones? If the Houston front office decides Jones fits their competitive window in a relatively wide-open division, they certainly have the ammo to acquire him.
In similar fashion to the Bears trade package, this deal only includes one first rounder, and it's the pick acquired from the Browns in the Deshaun Watson swap. Houston doesn't have a ton of high draft capital in 2024 thanks to their decision to trade up. However, these four picks are solid value for Kansas City, and arguably look better in the long run.
Houston's second and third rounders in 2025 could still be relatively high given their extensive rebuild. What the Texans can offer Jones right away is that long-term deal he covets, as they have a ton of cap space over the next few seasons. Stroud will be on his rookie deal, as well, so the Texans can add via free agency and trades.
