Kansas City Chiefs still working with Chris Jones and L’Jarius Sneed
By Calvin Silvers
The Kansas City Chiefs continue to work through their rosters as free agency and the NFL Draft are the upcoming events that could greatly shape the future of the franchise. Two major names that the Chiefs are working with are on the defensive side, as the defense is coming off their best season in awhile.
Starting with defensive tackle Chris Jones, who had spent the previous eight seasons in Kansas City, the team did not put a franchise tag on Jones, but they haven’t ruled out trying to find the money to retain Jones and keep him on the depth chart.
According to three different free agent rankings, Jones is/one of the hottest pieces in the free agent market this season. In fact, he is rated the top overall free-agent on the market.
It’s likely Jones wants a long-term deal with a team in the league, as this previous season contract negotiations kept Jones out of training camp and Week 1 against Detroit. According to Pro Football Focus, it’s believed Jones will want a contract around the specs of four years and 120 million dollars, or 30 million dollars per year.
One recent team to throw their hat in the ring for Jones is AFC West rival the Las Vegas Raiders. There’s already ample space, but more could be created if the Raiders release quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jones finished the season with 20 solo tackles and 10.5 sacks. The 29-year-old will continue to work with teams through the offseason.
The Chiefs did place a franchise tag on cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, but it’s unlikely he’ll remain in Kansas City in 2024. Sneed has been given permission to seek a trade, and the chiefs have reportedly heard from seven teams that are interested.
Those seven teams included the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons and the Jacksonville Jaguars have all expressed interest.
With Sneed’s franchise tag now counting $19.8 million against the Chiefs’ salary cap, they’re just barely under the cap for 2024. This means they’d rather likely move on from him and devote that cap space elsewhere.
In 70 games over four years, including 13 playoff contests, he’s recorded 11 interceptions, 47 passes defended, five forced fumbles, 8.5 sacks, and 23 total tackles for loss. Both sides have until mid-July to finalize a long-term extension or until the NFL’s trade deadline to part ways via trade.
