Chris Jones among winners of Kansas City Chiefs offseason
In light of Kansas City’s offseason roster moves, what returning Chiefs players are clear winners from this spring’s transactions?
Just days after winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl in 50 years, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid immediately turned their focus to 2021 and a title defense.
In the three months since that time, the pair have engineered dozens of roster decisions from signing their own free agents, to letting players walk, to signing new free agents and sorting through an NFL Draft weekend. Throughout that, some players who are still on the roster were undoubtedly losers as a result, demoted or given the clear sign that the team seeks improvement over them.
But its not all doom and gloom for the holdover Chiefs. Some players on the Kansas City squad have definitely come out as clear winners from the offseason transactions which have taken place thus far. Which Chiefs are in better standing as a result of the decisions made since the championship?
Chris Jones
All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones may initially seem like an odd inclusion on this list. He has no shot at losing his starting job anchoring the Chiefs’ defensive line, and the one thing he wanted out of this offseason was a long term extension (at his asking price), and he has yet to receive it.
Despite that reality, Jones is still a winner from the offseason based on one simple fact: leverage. The Chiefs did not draft anyone who could potentially replace him either in the lineup, nor did they pursue a trade or sign a free agent who could do the same. That means the team is forced into the position of either paying the Pro Bowler what he wants, overpaying a premium defensive tackle on next year’s free agent market, or plugging in a young player at the position who will not be remotely comparable to filling Jones’ shoes.
This is a great place for Jones to sit. He can look at the Chiefs roster and know that they need (and likely want) him to continue to be a part of the dynasty they’re trying to build. He can be patient as he waits for them to cave to his demands—or to at least get closer to them).
Jones wins as a result of the 2020 offseason.