The early stages of summer are normally a very slow time in terms of news on the NFL calendar, but for the Kansas City Chiefs, things are even slower than hoped. That's because most of Chiefs Kingdom is at least hoping to hear news on the financial front with word of a new long-term extension for defensive tackle Chris Jones.
The Chiefs and Jones have been reportedly working on a long-term contract, which sources told The Athletic's Nate Taylor would likely be three or four years in length, for some time. Both sides have publicly stated their desire to get something done, but of course, the same thing was said before the team traded Tyreek Hill one year ago.
For the Chiefs and Jones to get something done, the biggest hurdle at this stage is the lack of a deal between defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and the New York Jets.
The latest reports have Chris Jones and the Kansas City Chiefs waiting to see how things work out with Quinnen Williams and the Jets.
Williams and the Jets are working on a deal of their own that would likely make the young DT the second-highest paid player at his position behind Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams. However, Jones also wants and deserves that designation as being the most rewarded player as an interior lineman on this side of Donald, a future Hall of Famer, and it all comes down to timing.
While Williams is not the player that Jones is at this point, he is several years younger than Jones with a future that looks just as bright at Jones's present. The Jets would be paying for Williams' prime seasons at a lucrative price, but that's the cost of doing business in the NFL these days with premium young talent.
It's impossible to know when things will happen for the Jets or the Chiefs, but certainly most teams would want to avoid any contractual concerns being a distraction by the time training camp opens. For the Jets, that date would be July 30, which gives the Chiefs just over a month to watch and wait for something to happen (or not) with Williams' future with the team.