[KingPriest2]

Originally Posted by kcgreene

Let's look at some figures for 2024:

Chiefs currently have projected 35.66 M in cap next season
Jones Tag would be roughly 33.6M on the cap next year.

Obvious cap releases:
MVS (Save 12M, leaving 2M in dead money)

Extension Possibilities:
Thuney (Due 22.6M)
Reid (Due 14.25M)

Restructuring Mahomes (Saves a varying amount, for this thought experiment let's say it lowers his cap hit from 46.7M to 38M, saving 8.7M)

If we tagged Jones next year (if no deal worked out), we're looking at somewhere between 14M (no extensions or restructures) to north of 30M of cap space (restructure Mahomes and extensions)

I think we have enough wiggle room where if he plays this year and wants absurd money still, we can do a tag and trade next year.

I think Chris Jones is an amazing player, but at 30M a year on the defensive side of the ball, I think the argument can be made that the money can be used in the aggregate across the entire defense or team, plus, that money long term could very much be used in signing younger players long term (Humphrey and Bolton specifically should be in the long term plans of this team IMO)

Not to mention for a player of Jones caliber, you're probably netting something somewhere around a 1st and a 3rd back, and can hopefully get another quality (cheap) player in the draft.

It would be painful, BUT he is not the Mahomes of the defense. NO ONE ELSE IN THE NFL IMPACTS A GAME LIKE PATRICK MAHOMES DOES. Does he lead the defense? Absolutely, but he is touchable in terms of cap. Not like Mahomes. Mahomes could want 35% of the cap and you say Yes. Jones has a number, the question is if 30M (roughly 14% of the cap this year) is viable in long term with this team.

Honestly, I hope these conversations are happening at 1 Arrowhead Dr, because if Veach does anything like trading CJ95, he'll have a plan in place to address his absence.

We have $51 mil next year