Chiefs signing of Chris Jones is final piece of great offseason
Brett Veach can finally take a breath.
The Kansas City Chiefs general manager put the finishing touches on his masterpiece Tuesday afternoon, signing All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones to a four-year deal worth $85 million, including $60 million in guarantees.
Jones’ deal comes only eight days after Veach came to terms with Super Bowl LIV MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes on a record-setting 10-year extension worth $450 million, keeping Mahomes in Kansas City through the 2031 season.
By extending Mahomes and signing Jones off the franchise tag, Veach has the Chiefs set up in ways which seemed unfathomable earlier in the offseason. While the former was always the foremost priority for obvious reasons, signing Jones looked increasingly difficult with the pandemic likely keeping the 2021 salary cap flat at $198 million.
Somehow, Veach pulled it off, landing Jones without giving him a signing bonus. This trick allows for the cap hits to be low early and somewhat flexible down the line. It’s creative thinking by Kansas City’s front office.
More to the point of Veach’s work this offseason, the champion Chiefs kept 20 of their 22 starters from Super Bowl LIV. Only safety/corner Kendall Fuller and guard Stefen Wisniewski left town via free agency. Incredibly, despite a relative tight cap situation, Kansas City re-signed cornerback Bashaud Breeland, receiver Demarcus Robinson and defensive tackle Mike Pennel. The Chiefs also reworked receiver Sammy Watkins’ deal, keeping him at a $12 million price.
Moving forward, Kansas City has Mahomes, Jones, tight end Travis Kelce, receivers Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman, rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, safety Tyrann Mathieu, linebacker Anthony Hitchens, cornerback Charvarius Ward and defensive end Frank Clark all for at least two more seasons.
In short, the incredible core of a young, championship team is intact for the foreseeable future. Additionally, Kansas City has flexibility. While the cap will be tight in 2020 and ’21, it begins to loosen in 2022. After that, only Clark, Jones, Mahomes and kicker Harrison Butker are signed in 2023.
With training camp two weeks away, many teams will enter feeling good about their chances. The Chiefs, however, will be outshined by nobody, knowing they have all their high-end pieces, both now and into the future.
