The Kansas City Chiefs have officially placed the franchise tag on defensive tackle Chris Jones, to no one’s surprise, shortly before the NFL’s deadline.
Just hours before the official deadline expired for NFL franchises to use a roster tag designation of any kind, the Kansas City Chiefs have applied the franchise tag on defensive lineman Chris Jones—a move that will come as no surprise to anyone.
The Chiefs were expected to place the tag on Jones all along in order to give them long-term flexibility on their ability to either sign him to a long-term contract extension or deal him to another team in a “tag-and-trade” scenario (a la former Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford from one year ago). Without the tag, Jones would be an unrestricted free agent as of Wednesday.
Jones is the best interior disruptor in the NFL this side of Aaron Donald, a blossoming star along the defensive front on the verge of being a household name (if he’s not already). During the 2018 season, he set an NFL record with most consecutive games with at least one sack (11). In 2019, he added a Super Bowl ring to his list of accomplishments and was a relentless force inside down the stretch for the Chiefs.
Jones has said all the right things to date about wanting to stay in Kansas City for the duration of his career. The Chiefs have also stated the right things from their perspective in terms of wanting to bring back Jones on a long-term deal and stating how big of an offseason priority he is. That said, the proof is in the proverbial pudding, which means we all need to wait and see what unfolds as the offseason progresses.