Chris Jones projected to get $101 million contract extension

Whether from the Kansas City Chiefs or a yet unknown NFL franchise, Chris Jones is expected to get over $100 million in a long-term contract extension.

The team is unknown. The timeline is unknown. However, at some point from some NFL franchise, defensive lineman Chris Jones is going to get a mammoth contract extension in the near future. The total sum of that contract, according to NFL.com’s Anthony Holzman-Escareno, is projected to be $101 million over the course of five seasons.

For now, the Kansas City Chiefs are in control of who doles out that amount to Jones. As of this moment, Jones has been given the franchise tag, which would force him to play out this coming season as if it were a one-year deal worth $16.126 million. That is, of course, a wonderful payday for anyone reading this, but Jones has reached the rarified air at the NFL’s summit—a place only a few elite athletes climb, especially non-quarterbacks, in which a defender can earn $20 million per season.

All along, Jones has stated that he wants to retire with the Chiefs and the team’s front office has stated the same thing. General manager Brett Veach has said working something out with Jones is a top priority this offseason for the Chiefs.

The downside here is that the Chiefs already have $20 million/year committed to a teammate of Jones—in fact, a fellow defensive lineman, Frank Clark. In addition, the Chiefs have major money kicking in for wide receiver Tyreek Hill, safety Tyrann Mathieu, and the looming extension for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Is there room for yet another highly-paid superstar?

That’s why, at this point, the team is unknown as is the timeline for Jones. However he can count on raking in $100-plus million at some point from someone and it will be interesting to see if the Chiefs can be the team to work something out.