KC Chiefs' Brett Veach Provides Update on Chris Jones Contract Negotiations
The Kansas City Chiefs celebrated receiving their Super Bowl LVII rings on Thursday night with a red carpet ceremony, but there was one overarching storyline also occupying some attention: the ongoing contract negotiations between the team and the camp of star defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Jones, who is under contract for a $20 million cash total this year and a $28.29M 2023 cap hit, will need his extension to kick in ahead of the 2024-25 season unless Kansas City opts to use the franchise tag to maintain team control over his contract status. The 28-year-old defensive tackle is coming off the best season of his career, but the timelines of other high-profile players at his same position have (partially) led to a longer runway for his own deal. Jones didn't attend organized team activities (OTAs) or mandatory minicamp this year, although that didn't come as too much of a surprise.
Prior to the official start of the ring ceremony itself, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was asked about where things stood with Jones. Speaking first about the nature of the negotiations, Veach said that the team is in a good spot with communicating back and forth. He also reiterated that everyone wants him to be in Kansas City for years to come.
"We have great communication and there's a lot of time before camp," Veach said. "[I] feel good about where we're going to be with Chris. We'll get to celebrate tonight and have a good time, break tomorrow, and I'm sure we'll have great dialogue from now to the start of training camp and look forward to Chris being here not just for next year, but for a long time."
When asked if he had a specific deadline for a potential deal to get done, Veach was noncommittal. Instead, he brought up how similar situations have played out in the past in terms of summer timetables.
"Not really," Veach said. "Listen, we have a long history together and we have a great relationship with his agent. I mean, these things usually get worked out right before [or] right during the first start of camp so we anticipate the same, and we'll see how it goes."
In addition to Veach's comments on Jones, head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo chimed in this week as well. Both coaches are leaving everything up to the people in charge of negotiating, although they both have faith in Jones taking care of things by himself and being ready to go once the ink dries on his deal (if it gets done). No one in the Chiefs organization indicates that they aren't confident in how things will end within the next month or so.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is yet another example. When asked on Thursday morning about Jones's contract situation, the 2022-23 NFL MVP referred to it as simply a part of the football business. Mahomes knows Jones is going to be ready to hit the ground running once a long-term extension gets ironed out, and the team will continue working in the interim. Recognizing how important of a leader and player Jones is on the defensive side of the ball, Mahomes is excited to get Jones back in the fold for training camp if all goes as planned.
“Like you said, it’s part of the business," Mahomes said. "I think Chris knows that we love him here. He’s been a part of this team for a long time. He’s one of the main reasons that we’ve had the success that we’ve had. He’s been that leader on the defense. He’s made a lot of big plays in it seems like the biggest moments, and you want those guys on your team. Like you said, it’s part of the business.
"It’s the offseason, even you’re getting better, I’m sure Chris is working and he knows the defense, what he needs to do, and the hope is everything is good by training camp and we’re able to come in and just roll. That’s just part of it, and that’s what makes this team so great is whenever guys like that have to go handle their business, we let them handle it, when they jump back in the building, we get back to right where we left off.”
