Nick Wright Analyzes Chris Jones’s Contract Holdout From KC Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs' first week of full-team training camp practices has gone mostly well, but the absence of All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones remains a dark cloud that's hovering over the organization.
Until Jones's camp and the team can come to terms on a long-term contract extension, he likely won't be in attendance for practices and will instead accept a $50,000 fine for every day he misses. That hasn't stopped the club's best defensive player from standing his ground, and there are recent reports that indicate things may not be going swimmingly in terms of negotiations. There's still time for a deal to get done, although the clock is ticking with each passing day.
Speculation about Jones's contract situation keeps rolling in, and Nick Wright of FS1 is adding his spin to things as well. On a recent episode of his What's Wright? podcast, the sports personality and noted Chiefs supporter said there's an "inarguable" case for Jones being one of the 10 best defensive players in football. With that said, he also pointed to the average annual value contract gap between Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald ($31.7 million) and the next defensive tackle, Quinnen Williams ($24M) of the New York Jets. Jones is reportedly attempting to bridge the gap somewhere but skew closer to Donald, and Wright knows the Chiefs need to pay him despite this:
"Chris Jones wants right next to Aaron Donald. I don't blame him, but it's tricky because (Patrick) Mahomes is on a bit of a discount, (Travis) Kelce is on a huge discount. I think this gets done, but it should be noted [that] the last time there was a Chief that wanted to be paid at the very top of the market, he got traded. His name was Tyreek Hill. Now, they could overcome that because of Mahomes. Chris Jones is wildly important to this team. I believe that they are going to get a deal done but if they don't, this is probably his last year on the Chiefs. And that absolutely hurts their ability to go on a dynastic run."
Wright also praised defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's unit, which has a collective goal to be a top 10 group this coming season. Wright echoes that same sentiment, pointing to players such as linebacker Nick Bolton, defensive lineman Charles Omenihu and other as potential key contributors. Still, Jones is the centerpiece and the person capable of elevating the play of everyone else:
"If he's there this year, which I think he will be, I think they could have a top 10 defense. They have all those young guys in the secondary with a year of experience. I really like Nick Bolton as their inside linebacker. They have spent consecutive first-round picks on defensive ends, they went out and got Charles Omenihu and you have Chris Jones. You could have a legitimate pass rush, a young and athletic secondary, Bolton holding down the linebacker crew along with the guy they got from the Chargers (Drue Tranquill). Leo Chenal, we'll see what happens with him. I like what this defense can be, but the focal point is Chris Jones."
Most projections for Jones's next contract check in between $27M and $30M on an average per-year basis. That would eclipse Williams by a significant amount while also falling short of Donald's record-breaking figure, yet where the Chiefs ultimately align — if they eventually do so — remains to be seen. Wright's best guess? A $30M average that may not be exactly what it seems on paper.
"I think they get it worked out. My guess is this comes in at four years, they're going to call it $120M so he gets to say $30M a year. But practically speaking, it's a three-year, $80M deal with $70M of that guaranteed."
