Chris Jones may have woken up with some regrets after Wednesday’s speech that saw him announce he would return to the Kansas City Chiefs next season. The highly sought after NFL defensive tackle seemed to commit the next three-years of his career to the Chiefs during the team’s victory parade.
“We ain’t done yet. I ain’t going nowhere baby. I will be here this year, next year, and the year after,” said Jones to the crowd before initiating a chant of three-peat.
Chris Jones is staying with the Chiefs 😂😂#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/1n2ribznN8
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 14, 2024
The only problem is that Chris Jones does not have a contract with the Chiefs for next year.
Per a recent article from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the two parties are nowhere close to finalizing a deal.
“An agreement is expected ‘no time soon,'” reported Florio.
The very public declaration puts Chris Jones (and his agent) in a very awkward position. The 29-year-old may have relinquished some of his negotiating leverage as he prepares to hammer out a new deal.
Jones bet on himself when he signed a one-year agreement at the start of the year to return to the Chiefs and is set to become a free agent this offseason. He initially held out for an extension and was penalized for not showing up to training camp but an agreement was eventually worked out. After an exceptional 2023 season, there will be plenty of suitors for the 6’6″, 300-plus lineman.
The former Mississippi State star was a the 37th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and has played his entire professional career with the Chiefs. Over eight seasons, he has recorded 273 tackles, 75.5 sacks and two interceptions over a 123 regular season games.
