Chris Jones - Making Him the Highest Paid Defender in the League

[dlphg9]

Why couldn't we do it? Khalil Mack, the highest paid defensive player in the league right now had cap hits of $13.8 mil in yr 1 of his new deal and $11.9 mil in yr 2. Macks avg yearly salary is $23.5 mil per year.

Veach doesn't seem to like giving guys contracts past the age of 30, so I could see him doing a 5 yr $120 mil deal. That keeps Jones in KC until age 30 and we get all his prime years and don't run the risk of having to pay him a ton of money after he's 30. Him being a 2nd rounder is going to help him in negotiating.

If we structure the contract so that his cap hit is $13 mil in year 1 and $15 mil in year 2, we have him cheap when we are tight with the cap this year and then next year there should be a decent jump in the cap and we're not out $8 mil because of Eric Berrys dead money. The cap should raise significantly for the remaining 3 years of his contract and it wont burden us with trying to get other good players.

There are several factors that should allow him to become the highest paid defender in the league.

1. He is an absolute beast. I am higher on his run D than most, but no one can argue that he is not, at worst, the 2nd best pass rushing interior lineman in the league. Personally, I put him right next to Aaron Donald when it comes to pass rushing. Now someone smarter than me correct me please, but has there ever been a better pass rusher at that position than those 2? His impact in the Super Bowl will be a big bargaining chip for him during negotiations as well

2. He is only 25 years old. Veach is smart. He doesn't like giving out big money to old guys and he's not going to extend guys into the twilight of their careers and pay them tons of money. Luckily for Chris Jones he is only 25 and a 5 year deal puts him at 30 years old. Veach wants to keep guys that still have their best years ahead of him and the prime age for a DT is 28 according to PFF, so that means in theory we haven't even seen the best Chris Jones and Brett Veach isn't going to just let that walk away.

3. The new CBA. When the top paid defenders signed their deals there were only 16 regular season game and now neverything is pointing to a 17 game regular season, so contracts are going to reflect that. Prior to the news about the newest CBA coming a year early my best guess was that CJ was going to get $21.5 mil a year from the Chiefs, since Frank Clark is basically getting $21 mil a year. $21.5 mil a year breaks down to $1.34 mil per regular season game, so that extra game should pay an additional $1.34 mil a year and that alone puts CJs yearly avg to just under $23 million a year. That hasn't even taken into account the increase in the percentage of profit the players are getting.

Chris Jones is one of my favorite players on the team and is probably my favorite player on the defense. I hope we keep him even if we have to pay him more money per year than any other defender in the history of the league. My love for Chris Jones may cloud my judgement and make me irrational and I may be completely wrong in my train of thought, but I dont think signing Jones long term is detrimental to the future success of this team whatsoever. I actually believe it would be insanely stupid and detrimental to let a generational talent like Chris Jones walk because we got some draft picks for him. Chris Jones's skills are only matched by one other player at his position and those 2 may be the best pass rushers we have ever seen at d tackle and I don't think anyone else is even close. You can't replace his production and trading him is an awful idea.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

PAY HIM

[Coogs]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

Then why would you name this thread that very thing?

I thought that is what we were discussing here too.

Right now this is the benchmark. I just don't see how we can go there.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/chicago-...il-mack-14414/

[Wallcrawler]

Originally Posted by IUsedToBeATightEnd

How can you compare a player at the end of his career, and another one who's been "day by day and no play" for the past few years, to a healthy beast in his prime such as Jones

Because at the time they were given their money, Houston was a 20+ sack linebacker, and Berry was the beast who beat cancer, was hugely responsible for winning 2 games for the Chiefs on his huge plays that season, (Panthers, Falcons) and was comeback player of the year.

Jesus Christ, how ****ing obtuse can you be?

[VAGOMO 4 LIFE!]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Someone correct me if I’m wrong here, but we need to make a decision on Sammy by next Wednesday right?

Pretty sure we can’t be over the cap on the day of the new league year and Chris Jones tag puts us over while Sammy is the best option to cover that $15 or so million.

Jones hasn’t officially had the tag put on him yet. Veach is trying his moves behind closed doors. Dude is gonna get no sleep this week

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by Coogs

I thought that is what we were discussing here too.

Right now this is the benchmark. I just don't see how we can go there.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/chicago-...il-mack-14414/

7/154m

I’d give Chris that deal right now.

First 2 years are super cheap and after that the cap skyrockets anyway

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by MAHOMO 4 LIFE!

Jones hasn’t officially had the tag put on him yet. Veach is trying his moves behind closed doors. Dude is gonna get no sleep this week

It’s not that.

It’s the 30% rule that’s holding up every contract negotiation league wide.

A new deal can’t have a salary that jumps more than 30% year to year going into the last year of the current CBA.

If there’s no new CBA, the Chris Jones deal is going to be very difficult to get done.

[Coogs]

Originally Posted by BossChief

7/154m

I’d give Chris that deal right now.

First 2 years are super cheap and after that the cap skyrockets anyway

I don't know BC. I'm not saying you are wrong. But right now, IMO, we only have one guy that we have to keep regardless of the cost. The QB. Everyone else is replaceable. Again, this is IMO.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by MAHOMO 4 LIFE!

Jones hasn’t officially had the tag put on him yet. Veach is trying his moves behind closed doors. Dude is gonna get no sleep this week

If you are referring to a trade you should know that we cannot trade Jones until after we have put the tag on him and he has signed as well.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Coogs

I don't know BC. I'm not saying you are wrong. But right now, IMO, we only have one guy that we have to keep regardless of the cost. The QB. Everyone else is replaceable. Again, this is IMO.

Sorry, but we already know this is not the case. Without enough weapons, Pat and Andy have a harder time scoring with any consistency. See the 2019 Colts game and the 2019 Texans game. Or even the second 2018 Chargers game.

So Tyreek, Kelce, and someone very similar to Sammy Watkins are not replaceable. Take away two of these guys and the offense stalls more often than not.

And without a defense we also have trouble winning big games against quality teams. Just go back and look at last year's games against both the Pats and the Rams. Scored 91 points between those two games, because most or all of our offense was available, but the defense didn't show up at all.

So saying that all we need to have is Pat is a gross oversimplification. Hell, all you have to do is go back and look at Aaron Rodgers and the Packers since 2013 or so. Only won their division 3 times until this season. Lost in the playoffs four consecutive seasons, and didn't even make the playoffs 2017-2018. Why? A lack of offensive weapons, including the fact that they used a WR as their RB1 for a season and a half, so basically no real running game. And then lump in the fact that they gutted their defense, and there you go. Even with a prime Rodgers they struggled to win their division, and never made it back to the SB.

That is not a route we want to take with Patrick. We need at least three quality offensive weapons on the field, and we need a decent defense that can get Pat the ball when we need it, period.

Not waying we have to keep Jones, though I believe that getting back to the SB is a lot easiwer with him than without him. But we have to have a quality defense, otherwise we open the door to quality teams that can score and play defense.

[Coogs]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

Sorry, but we already know this is not the case. Without enough weapons, Pat and Andy have a harder time scoring with any consistency. See the 2019 Colts game and the 2019 Texans game. Or even the second 2018 Chargers game.

So Tyreek, Kelce, and someone very similar to Sammy Watkins are not replaceable. Take away two of these guys and the offense stalls more often than not.

And without a defense we also have trouble winning big games against quality teams. Just go back and look at last year's games against both the Pats and the Rams. Scored 91 points between those two games, because most or all of our offense was available, but the defense didn't show up at all.

So saying that all we need to have is Pat is a gross oversimplification. Hell, all you have to do is go back and look at Aaron Rodgers and the Packers since 2013 or so. Only won their division 3 times until this season. Lost in the playoffs four consecutive seasons, and didn't even make the playoffs 2017-2018. Why? A lack of offensive weapons, including the fact that they used a WR as their RB1 for a season and a half, so basically no real running game. And then lump in the fact that they gutted their defense, and there you go. Even with a prime Rodgers they struggled to win their division, and never made it back to the SB.

That is not a route we want to take with Patrick. We need at least three quality offensive weapons on the field, and we need a decent defense that can get Pat the ball when we need it, period.

Not waying we have to keep Jones, though I believe that getting back to the SB is a lot easiwer with him than without him. But we have to have a quality defense, otherwise we open the door to quality teams that can score and play defense.

There are other good to great players out there. Every single year. You don't have to fill the other spots with JAG's. Once in a lifetime QB's however, you keep those guys.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Coogs

There are other good to great players out there. Every single year. You don't have to fill the other spots with JAG's. Once in a lifetime QB's however, you keep those guys.

We know already that the FA WR market this upcoming season is going to be a relative desert. The Draft offers a lot of potential at WR, but we also know that it will take a rookie at least two seasons to get up to speed in our offense. So any rookie WR we pick up will probably be no more than a 12-15 snap/game guy.

AT DL, particularly DT, again, history tells us that replacing a player of Jones' skills and abilities is almost a complete crapshoot. They just don't come along that often. We also know that playing on the DL in our defense is fairly complicated; how long for a rookie DL to get comfortable and really be able to play as a 3-down starter? And what FA DLs are out there that can produce anything like the kind of chaos that Jones can? I can't think of one.

Again, I'm not saying we're screwed if we can't keep Jones, because I trust in Veach and Coach Spagnuolo, but the defense won't be nearly as effective without Jones, IMO. Just look at his overall production vs. the top 3 DLs last season. Only Aaron Donald has similar numbers, and 3rd is way in the rear-view mirror.

[BlackOp]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

I disagree with this. With how young Mahomes and most of our players are we have a huge window to win championships.

Nope...this team is built for now. You have Hill, Kelce, Schwartz, HB, Jones and Clark for the next few years...all pretty much in their prime. (Kelce/Schwartz at the tail end).

Mahomes is, far and away, the best QB in the AFC...that window is open. There is a QB void right now...

Worry about the future in about 3 years....this team will always be in the running as long as Mahomes is healthy.

If Aaron Donald wasn't a generational player at DL...Jones would be the best at his position and the media would be slobbering over him.

You could argue that keeping Jones...makes average DBs look better.

[poolboy]

love Chris Jones but who would trade a first and ....?

[ForeverIowan]

Originally Posted by BlackOp

Nope...this team is built for now. You have Hill, Kelce, Schwartz, HB, Jones and Clark for the next few years...all pretty much in their prime. (Kelce/Schwartz at the tail end).

Mahomes is, far and away, the best QB in the AFC...that window is open.

Worry about the future in about 3 years....this team will always be in the running as long as Mahomes is healthy.

If Aaron Donald wasn't a generational player at DL...Jones would be the best at his position.

I dont understand the logic that you arent invested in winning now (and in the future) by considering trading Jones. Approximately 20 million in cap savings and at worst a first and third rounder. Take your pick of pretty much any two free agents and likely a top 20 draft pick. People acting like you are punting on next year by trading Jones I'd almost argue the opposite.

[Megatron96]

Has anyone even offered a 1st yet? The best I've heard is a 2nd.