The long wait at the negotiating table is over for Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.
After failing to come to terms on an extension last season, Jones and the Chiefs have reached an agreement on a 5-year contract with $95 million guaranteed.
The deal will pay Jones approximately $32 million in average annual salary, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Chris Jones’ 5-year deal should make him the NFL’s highest-paid DT at around $32M per year. The first $95M or so are essentially guaranteed, and the final numbers are still being worked out. But a mammoth deal for a mammoth defender as a result of good-faith negotiations. https://t.co/w2Xub4OpR0
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2024
Jones’ camp tried to negotiate a long-term deal with the Chiefs last offseason. The 5-time Pro Bowler had initially held out from Chiefs’ training camp and eventually settled on a revised 1-year deal, essentially delaying the negotiation to this offseason.
The 29-year-old had his patience rewarded after helping Kansas City win their third Super Bowl over the last five seasons.
Jones tied defensive end George Karlaftis III for the team lead with 10.5 sacks. Jones also recorded 29 quarterback hits and 13 tackles for loss — both team-highs by a significant margin.
Jones recently caused a stir amongst Chiefs fans with a cryptic post on social media.
Some fans believed Jones had been hinting at a possible Chiefs extension on the horizon. With Jones’ new deal in place just days later, he very well may have been.
