Chiefs news: Lack of traction on Chris Jones extension

There “hasn’t been much traction at all” when it comes to an extension for Chris Jones and the Chiefs.

With the countdown now under a month to go for the Kansas City Chiefs to reach a long-term extension with Chris Jones before the 2020 regular season begins, NFL reporter James Palmer has some bad news. Per a source, Palmer says there “hasn’t been much traction at all” for a new deal with the defensive star.

The Chiefs and Jones have been angling toward the same goal publicly for months and months now—perhaps even more than a year. Jones has stated on more than one occasion that he wants to remain with the Chiefs for the rest of his playing career, and the Chiefs have matched him step for step in such declarations to the media by saying they want Jones to remain in place. And that’s not just from one person; instead head coach Andy Reid, general manager Brett Veach and even owner Clark Hunt have all said an extension is on the way.

Unfortunately, there’s been no positive reports to speak of as the NFL’s deadline of July 15 approaches. Given that the Chiefs placed a franchise tag to Jones to keep him from hitting free agency, the NFL has given all such players and teams a first date by which they must reach a new agreement or set it aside once again until after the season. That might not sound like a big deal, but Jones only gets more expensive for the team with another strong season—or Jones might not want to take on the injury risk of another year on a one-year contract.

Right now, Jones is reportedly going to want a deal running north of $20 million per season and the Chiefs are a team already against the cap. In addition, the team is working on a long-term deal with Patrick Mahomes as well which would make him the highest-paid player in the game. And as Palmer details, the uncertainty surrounding the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the financial hit that will be taken by each team doesn’t help anyone wanting an extension right now.

Fortunately the Chiefs and Jones both have well over two weeks left which should be plenty of time to work out a contract and make an announcement—assuming all of the public overtures should be taken at face value. If not, the relationship between the Chiefs and their All-Pro defensive lineman will be a talking point all season long.