Chris Jones Not Present As Kansas City Chiefs Start Minicamp

Chris Jones was integral to the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl success last season, and the All-Pro defensive tackle is taking significant steps to ensure his next contract reflects his importance to the team.

Jones, according to multiple reports, was not present as the Chiefs began their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.

He is in the final year of his contract, one which will see him earn a base salary of $19.5 million. Jones also has a $500,000 workout bonus in his contract for this season and can earn $1.25 million in incentives with a 10-sack campaign.

Back in May, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said a Jones contract extension was on his list of things to do in the offseason.

“We’ll spend time and obviously we have a great relationship with Chris and his staff. So, we’ll get to work and see what we can do,” Veach said, per NFL.com.

Nothing has been done yet, however, leading Jones to seemingly attempt to force Kansas City’s hand.

Given Jones’ history of production and uncanny ability for making plays in the biggest moments, there is little doubt the Chiefs will find a way to keep him around for the long term.

Only once in the last five seasons has Jones managed fewer than nine sacks. In 2022, he matched his career-high 15.5 sacks along with 17 tackles for loss and 29 quarterback hits. On top of that, Jones’ 46 total pressures last season trailed only Nick Bosa and Maxx Crosby, according to Pro Football Reference.

Jones saved his most significant impact for the AFC Championship Game, logging five quarterback hits of Joe Burrow and two sacks of the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, including one late in the fourth quarter that gave the ball back to the Chiefs for their game-winning drive.

Aaron Donald is the only active defensive tackle that can claim to be more consistent than Jones, whose 56.5 sacks since 2018 are second-most among players at his position. Donald (64) is first on that list.

Donald is the highest-paid defender in the NFL having signed a three-year, $95 million extension last June. The Los Angeles Rams star was 31 at the time of signing and, with Jones still only 28 having produced at a similar level in recent seasons, he has a strong case for joining Donald in earning over $30 million a year.

The Chiefs, per Over The Cap, have the second-lowest amount of cap space in the NFL.

However, Veach has already indicated they are committed to reaching an agreement with Jones. Whether they have the means to pay him at the same rate as Donald remains to be seen but, following an offseason that has seen Jeffery Simmons, Daron Payne, Dexter Lawrence and Javon Hargrave all receive deals paying at least $21 million a year, the Chiefs will eventually have to hand Jones a contract that reflects his status as arguably the premier interior defensive lineman in the NFL.