NFL Insider Details Chris Jones Franchise Tag Likelihood, Week 2 Role for KC Chiefs

Adam Schefter gives insight on the chance Jones gets tagged next year, as well as what his role could look like in his season debut this Sunday.

The good news is that the Kansas City Chiefs are getting star defensive tackle Chris Jones back in the fold for his 2023 season debut on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The not-so-great news is that his long-term contract situation with the team is something that either won't be resolved for months or, perhaps, at all. 

Jones, moving forward on a new one-year deal with the Chiefs, was unable to reach an agreement on the multi-year contract extension he held out during the offseason for. After missing Kansas City's regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions, the 29-year-old tackle's camp instead came to terms on the updated short-term pact on Monday. The contract doesn't have a built-in provision against the franchise tag in 2024, however, giving the team a bit of added flexibility.

With that said, one high-ranking league insider isn't necessarily buying into the possibility of the franchise tag being used. Adam Schefter, senior writer for ESPN, reported on Sunday morning that the Chiefs are unlikely to tag Jones after the season due to the salary cap ramifications of such a move:

If the Chiefs were to tag Jones after the season, the price tag would be expected to be about $32 million. Kansas City also is projected to be right at the salary cap when the new league year starts in 2024, so it would be incredibly challenging, if not impossible, to clear out the corresponding room to tag Jones, based on a review of their contractual obligations. The Chiefs would have to release or restructure the contracts of too many players to be able to tag Jones.

Therefore, even if they could tag Jones, they are not expected to do so, creating a situation in which the star defensive tackle is almost assured of becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2024, if he so chooses.

Jan 29, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) celebrates after a sack against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter of the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

While exercising the franchise tag would undoubtedly take up a large chunk of the Chiefs' 2024 financial picture, there's reason to believe that it'd still be possible in theory. Spotrac and OverTheCap's estimates for available cap space currently fall right around $41M and $59M, respectively. Those estimates, of course, leave technical space for Jones but perhaps not practical space due to the cost of any external additions via trade, free agency and the draft.

In addition to chiming in on the chances of Jones getting slapped with the tag next year, Schefter also reported on what the Chiefs star's role could look like in Week 2:

The Chiefs are expected to use Jones on passing downs and important defensive plays. He could play anywhere from 20 to 30 plays against the Jaguars, depending on how he feels, a league source said.

During the week, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and head coach Andy Reid were noncommittal when asked about a specific workload for Jones. For someone who played 80% of the team's available defensive snaps this past regular season and someone with snap-driven incentive benchmarks in his new contract, Jones will want to play as much as possible. With him just now getting back into football shape, though, placing some limit on him would be wise management by the team.

Read More: How to Watch KC Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars