Chris Jones still hasn’t signed his franchise tender
In light of Patrick Mahomes’ record breaking contract, many have wondered what it means for Chris Jones’ future. He hasn’t signed his franchise tag tender and has even threatened to ‘do a Le’Veon Bell’ (presumably that means holding out, losing millions and ruining his career?).
Considering Seattle’s tragic need for defensive line reinforcements — predictably this has led some to question whether a trade is possible. After all — you can’t pay everyone and Kansas City is no longer a team benefiting from a quarterback on a rookie contract.
Even so — a trade is, unfortunately, highly unlikely for several reasons…
1. The Chiefs salary cap situation
Kansas City has done a remarkable job managing their salary cap over the last few years. Despite paying numerous big name players, trading for the likes of Frank Clark and keeping together their core group — they still have a healthy outlook for the future.
Following Mahomes’ extension they are now left with an estimated $22m in cap space for 2021. By 2022 they are projected to have $111m available — although this doesn’t include Mahomes’ salary. On top of this, they can create more cap space next year by cutting Tyrann Mathieu ($15m) and Alex Okafor ($6m).
If they want to sign Jones to a new contract, nothing is preventing them from doing so over the next few years. They have the cap space even with Mahomes’ big contract coming into effect. They have no pressure to trade him from a financial perspective.
2. The way they structure contracts
The Chiefs, unlike the Seahawks, were willing to make Frank Clark one of the highest paid defensive ends in the league. His contract is worth an average of $20.8m a year. The structure of the deal, however, gives them great flexibility and manageable control for the future.
Clark’s year-one cap hit in 2019 was just $6.5m. That was necessary given the cap pressure the Chiefs felt last year. His cap hit rises to $19.3m in 2020 and $25.8m in 2021. After that — they can easily get out of the contract if needed.
It’s basically only a three-year commitment to Clark. If he continues to perform at a high level — by 2022 a cap hit of $26.3m could present reasonable market value. If not, they can cut or trade him and save $13.4m as he turns 29 (and could still have some trade value).
Why is this important? If the Chiefs wanted to pay Chris Jones a similar salary, they would almost certainly structure the deal in the same way. They could lower his initial cap hit into the $6-10m range in 2021 and then back-load the deal. It could be a three year commitment, set up to be most expensive when Clark’s deal provides an out in 2022. By then they can make a call on Clark and it provides a very realistic opportunity for Kansas City to save money on their D-line if needed.
3. Why would the Chiefs trade him?
Because they are in relative cap health even with Mahomes’ new contract — all of the bargaining power lies with the Chiefs. All Jones can do is, as suggested, pull a Le’Veon Bell. I’m not sure using the worst negotiating tactic in the history of the NFL is going to sway a well run organisation.
Presumably Jones will not go down that route and the worst case scenario is he will play on the franchise tag. That would give the Chiefs an opportunity to try and win another Super Bowl in 2020 with the same core group that won a title in 2019.
After the season, the Chiefs can afford to franchise him again if needs be — even if it’s merely a precursor to a trade. Or they could just let him walk as a free agent. At the end of the day, trading him away arguably isn’t worth it if you’re harming your chances of winning a Super Bowl in 2020.
They’re not going to give him away like the Texans did with Jadeveon Clowney. We also know a lot more about Clowney now than we did a year ago. His free agency experience casts the trade in a completely different light. Nobody wants to pay him. The Texans, clearly, didn’t have a rich market for his services a year ago and took what they could. Whether that’s down to Clowney the person or his injury history — we can’t compare that situation to Jones.
In order to make a deal with the Chiefs you’d have to make it worth their while. What is the price of a major impact on your chances of winning a Championship this year?
4. Time is running out
July 15th is the deadline for a tagged player to sign a long term deal. After that date, he can’t discuss an extension until the end of the league year. That means if the Seahawks wanted to trade for him and extend his contract — they’d need to do it in the next seven days. Otherwise the best they could hope for is a rental situation.
You might argue that a rental would be fine. However, there are two big problems. Firstly, the Seahawks don’t have the cap space to absorb a $16m cap hit this year. That’s how much Jones is due on the franchise tag. If you rent him, you’d need the Chiefs to be willing to pay a decent chunk of his salary — just like the Texans did with Clowney. That doesn’t seem very realistic.
Secondly, it again comes down to Kansas City’s motivation to move him. The Texans clearly had a better grasp on Clowney’s situation than most gave them credit for. Had Clowney not been traded a year ago, the Texans wouldn’t have received a third round comp pick like everyone expected. By dealing him, they got something instead of nothing for a player the league isn’t that high on (for whatever reason).
Jones’ situation is different. There’s no reason to think he would also face a similar market next year. Thus the worst case scenario for the Chiefs is a decent comp pick down the line. Again — if you want to rent Chris Jones for a season it’s probably going to cost a higher pick. Otherwise, why would the Chiefs dent their chances of another Championship?
The most likely scenario for a trade was a deal that enabled another team to pay a high price in terms of picks, then extend his contract. You’ve only got seven days to sort that out.
The only other possible situation would be to make a trade after July 15th and then convince Jones to play on the tag in 2020 without having to guarantee you won’t tag him again next year. That seems implausible. Jones would surely threaten to hold out, scuppering any trade. Franchising him a second time would cost $19m — a not unreasonable amount compared to his peers. Yet he’s unlikely to go along with that arrangement ($16m in 2020, $19m in 2021) when he will be seeking a salary worth $23m a year.
5. Jones will want a mega contract
The Seahawks have so far refused to pay Frank Clark and Jadeveon Clowney. Is it realistic that they’d be willing to pay Chris Jones the kind of money he will want?
He’s well within his rights to ask for Aaron Donald money ($22.5m a year). Are the Seahawks really going to turn over high draft picks and a contract like that?
Furthermore — the likes of Donald and Khalil Mack were blue-chip players taken very early in the draft. Their physical profiles were elite. So was their production.
Jones has done a superb job producing consistently in the NFL despite a so-so college career. Yet he was also an early second round pick for a reason. He doesn’t possess the kind of physical profile of Donald or Mack. The light turned on in the NFL — but we’ve also seen him coast through a spell at Mississippi State.
Can you say with any great confidence that his production will continue if he’s earning $22.5m a year (or more)? Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the Chiefs have so far been reluctant to commit that much money to him on a long term extension?
It’s a nice thought to consider the Seahawks adding the kind of dynamic interior pass rusher they desperately need. If the Chiefs were willing to make a trade that included Seattle’s 2021 first round pick — it should be considered (provided a long term deal could be agreed). Next years draft class looks top heavy and light on D-line talent. The pass rush appears set to hold this team back from being a serious contender next season. Any opportunity to rectify that situation should be acted on.
There’s just too many obstacles — the price, the lack of motivation to deal him, the cost to the Chiefs in 2020. Seattle has essentially made its bed this year and short of being able to add a cheap defensive tackle or one of the two troubled receivers everyone’s talking about — they really don’t have the scope to do much more.
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