Bill Barnwell proposes Chiefs trade Chris Jones to Dolphins
By Matt Conner
Every year ESPN’s Bill Barnwell releases his All-Trades mock draft and this year he’s got a way to give the Miami Dolphins a disruptive lineman in Chris Jones.
The short-term questions have been answered regarding Kansas City Chiefs and star defensive lineman Chris Jones. However it’s the long-term cloud that still remains overhead, leaving fans and NFL analysts to wonder exactly what will happen with Jones both financially and, um, geographically.
Every year, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell releases his All-Drafts mock and it’s one of the best pre-draft reads of the year. In it, he attempts to come up with a fair trade that each team could make if they were trade their specific 1st round pick. For the Miami Dolphins, Barnwell believes they could be the ideal trade partner for the Chiefs for Jones—that is, if the team isn’t wanting to sign him to a long-term deal.
For now, the Chiefs have placed the franchise tag on Jones, which means he’s under contract through the 2020 season at a price over $16 million. That’s a lot to swallow but it’s far less than the reported $20 million he could (and should) receive annually in any contract extension given to him by the Chiefs or another team.
The Chiefs have been very positive about keeping Jones in any public-facing remarks, and the lineman has done the same, stating he wants to finish his career with the Chiefs. It makes the most sense for the Chiefs to hang on to Jones for at least one more year, even if it’s on the franchise tag amount, in order to make another Super Bowl run with such a valuable player.
However, if Brett Veach has surveyed the financial future of the team and decided that having another $100 million deal simply is not feasible going forward, Barnwell has an option with a team that holds multiple first round picks. Specifically he has the Chiefs giving up a fourth round pick and Jones in exchange for the No. 26 overall selection. He writes:
"The Dolphins spent millions to improve their defense this offseason, but the pass-rushers they imported were guys like Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah. Both have upside, but neither is a star. Jones is, and the Dolphins have both the cap space and the draft capital to get a deal done."
This trade feels a bit too weighted toward the Dolphins given the proven dominance that Jones brings along the line. Anyone taken at No. 26, even in a deep draft, is going to come with a risk and the addition of another fourth round pick just adds to the cost. The Chiefs only have 5 overall picks, so allowing the Fins to grab Jones only to slide down three rounds in the draft feels like an underwhelming return. That said, it’s likely that any Chiefs fan is going to feel slighted in a deal for Jones regardless of the return.
With such a pick, it’s possible the Chiefs could grab a featured corner like Kristian Fulton, a talented wideout like Denzel Mims, a linebacker like Kenneth Murray or an interior lineman like Cesar Ruiz. The team could then grab another such player only six picks later at their original draft spot.
All of this is likely silly conjecture, however. The Chiefs know Jones’ value more than any other team and they’ve said they want him to stick around. Jones wants the same and that indicates better things ahead. Here’s hoping we never have to worry about a return for Jones because he’s staying in K.C. for the long haul.