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Amid star defensive tackle Chris Jones’ contract holdout over a long-term extension, general manager Brett Veach told reporters the Kansas City Chiefs are in a good position to get a deal done at some point, according to Arrowhead Report’s Jordan Foote.
Jones, 28, is coming off the best season of his career but has just one year remaining on his contract in which he’s set to get paid just under $20 million for the season and will have a $28.29 million cap hit.
He hasn’t been present at OTAs or mandatory minicamp as he awaits a new extension.
As the Chiefs celebrated receiving their Super Bowl LVII rings Thursday night, Veach gave a positive update on how the negotiations are going and the front office’s relationship with Jones’ representation.
“We have great communication and there’s a lot of time before camp,” Veach said. “[I] feel good about where we’re going to be with Chris. We’ll get to celebrate tonight and have a good time, break tomorrow, and I’m sure we’ll have great dialogue from now to the start of training camp and look forward to Chris being here not just for next year, but for a long time.”
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Brett Veach on Chris Jones: “Feel good about where we’re going to be with Chris.” #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/ZLIR2kY2CL
Veach was later asked if there was a target date that he would want the extension done by. While he couldn’t give any specifics, his past experiences with these situations show that the beginning of training camp is usually a good goal to have.
And with plenty of time until the beginning of camp, Veach likes where things are in the process with Jones.
“Not really,” Veach said of having a timeline. “Listen, we have a long history together and we have a great relationship with his agent. I mean, these things usually get worked out right before [or] right during the first start of camp so we anticipate the same, and we’ll see how it goes.”
A two-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro, Jones has emerged as one of the elite defensive tackles and pass-rushers in the league over the past several seasons.
An extension will be crucial for the Chiefs’ foreseeable success on the defensive side of the ball. Letting Jones walk after next season—still in the prime of his career—would be a decision that could haunt Veach for a while.
In 17 games last season, Jones racked up a career-high 44 total tackles and a career-high-tying 15.5 sacks, helping lead Kansas City to its second title in the last four years.
