Star defensive lineman Chris Jones has continued his holdout from activities with the Kansas City Chiefs through training camp and the preseason amid ongoing negotiations on a contract extension.
Jones’ demands and the Chiefs’ ability to meet them have been a hot topic in recent weeks, and as the 2023 season is set to kick off on September 7, both sides need to reach an agreement quickly if the lineman intends to see the field with Kansas City against the Detroit Lions.
Buy Chiefs TicketsNFL reporter Albert Breer took to Twitter to break down the latest developments in the negotiations between Jones and the Chiefs and left his followers with a more optimistic outlook than usual.
This actually tells me there's a deal to be done. KC getting Jones $74M over the first 3 years outpaces Payne ($67.59M), Simmons ($60.58M), Lawrence ($58.75M) & Williams ($58.43M). And $54.5M over 2 is close to bridging the AD/Everyone else gap.
Both sides = now in the middle. https://t.co/a2QGRAQvl4
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 2, 2023
It seems that there may be a way for Kansas City to make Jones one of the highest-paid players at his position without making his next contract a market-setting deal. Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald currently has the most lucrative deal of any defensive lineman in the NFL, and while Jones has certainly earned a massive extension, the Chiefs will have to get creative to make the numbers work.
