The Kansas City Chiefs intended to extend All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones’ contract after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII last February. Jones was in the final year of a four-year, $80 million contract (worth up to $85 million in incentives) with $60 million in guarantees that he signed in 2020 as a franchise player. Keeping Jones on the roster was an offseason priority. Sometimes even the best prepared ideas go astray.
The Chiefs and Jones were not in agreement on a contract extension, despite both sides believing he should be the NFL’s second-highest paid interior defensive lineman. Jones was reportedly looking for $30 million per year, putting him on par with Aaron Donald, who signed a three-year, $95 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, averaging $31,666,667 each year to become the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback.
The Chiefs felt more comfortable paying Jones slightly more than Quinnen Williams, who ranks second in the interior defensive lineman wage hierarchy. Last July, Williams signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension with the Jets, worth an average of $24 million per year.
Jones engaged in an unusual holdout that lasted into the regular season. San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa, who replaced Donald as the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback a few days before the regular season began to conclude his own holdout, most likely reinforced Jones’ camp’s salary demands. Bosa inked a five-year, $170 million agreement for an average of $34 million per year, with non-quarterback records of $122.5 million in total guarantees and $88 million completely guaranteed at signing.
