Quinnen Williams' new contract with the Jets will help the Chiefs and Chris Jones move forward with talks on an extension.
All along, it's been clear that Chris Jones is looking for a contract extension from the Chiefs that would outpace all the other defensive tackles due for a payday.
Another domino has fallen on that front with the Jets locking Quinnen Williams into a four-year, $96-million deal on Thursday.
That means Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons and Williams have each landed new deals of $90 million or more. And Jones should be next with even more.
"The #chiefs are working on a new extension for Chris Jones and it is expected to exceed all of these," James Palmer of NFL Network tweeted after Williams' contract was reported.
NFL Rumors: Chris Jones contract expected to top Quinnen Williams' deal
Jones getting a bigger deal than the rest isn't a surprise. However, it's noteworthy that all the major defensive tackle contracts aside from Jones' have all been completed. That means the market has been firmly set. There's no reason to wait to see what kind of money others could receive. Both sides know exactly what the market looks like. Money isn't in danger of being left on the table.
Chiefs training camp is set to begin on July 23, so the clock is ticking before the lack of a Jones' extension becomes disruptive. With Williams' deal done, the 10 days or so until that point feel far more reasonable for getting something ironed out between Kansas City and their All-Pro defensive tackle.
Getting Jones' contract done is a domino in itself. The Chiefs are practically out of cap space. Reworking things with Jones would open up room to add players at key positions. So the sooner this gets resolved, the better.
