The Kansas City Chiefs finally agreed to terms on a contract with high-profile holdout Chris Jones, who missed the team's Thursday night loss to the Detroit Lions while he watched the chaos unfold from a lofty booth in Arrowhead Stadium.
It was only a matter of time until the Chiefs paid Jones an agreeable amount. He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season and he's the lynchpin for a two-time champion defense. Patrick Mahomes and the offense put butts in seats, but the Chiefs aren't a superteam without Jones' contributions on the defensive end.
Jones was under contract for one more season entering 2023... and he still is. His new deal includes a bevy of incentives that could bump his salary up to $25 million. But, crucially, the Chiefs maintained one important piece of leverage over Jones ahead of future contract negotiations.
According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, Jones' new contract does not include a no-franchise tag clause. That means the Chiefs can tag Jones next offseason if no long-term extension is agreed to, potentially opening a whole new can of worms.
Kansas City Chiefs hold key leverage over Chris Jones in contract negotiations
It's honestly surprising to see Jones' vociferous holdout resolve with a simple one-year pay increase and no removal of the franchise tag. The Chiefs undoubtedly want to keep Jones beyond the 2023 season, but there's a clear hesitance from the front office to pay him long-term after historic contracts were doled out to Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs have built this dynasty on offense, and it would appear that Kansas City runs the risk of undervaluing Jones. The franchise tag gives the franchise major leverage in future talks, but it could also lead to the two sides ending up right back where they started: with Jones unhappy about the franchise's treatment of him and their refusal to pay him like the top-shelf defender he is.
Kansas City fans will probably dread the potentially inevitable falling out, but in the meantime, Jones' return will be a much-welcomed reprieve from the stress that has enveloped the franchise all of training camp. The Lions game was a disappointment, but hardly surprising considering Jones' absence stacked on top of a shoddy WR room and Travis Kelce's injury.
The Chiefs figure to bounce back sooner than later, with their first opportunity coming on Sunday afternoon when the Jacksonville Jaguars play host. Jones' murky future looms, but the team and the fanbase will focus on the immediate future and a potential two-peat before the stormy weather returns.
