With numerous contracts nearing towards the end and Chiefs players that are in need of an extension, is it time to let go of one of our best defensive players on the team?
Hello everybody and welcome to Arrowhead Live’s new column: ArrowChop. In this column, we look at both sides of the coin on a certain NFL and/or Chiefs issue that concerns them. I will look at both the affirmation (agreeing) side and the negation (denying) side and I will let YOU, the readers, come to your own conclusions on the matter. With that said, let’s get the ball rolling!
A prominent topic within the Chiefs/NFL spectrum is the Chris Jones situation. If you don’t know already, Jones has asked for a contract extension that would total around $100 million dollars and the Chiefs answered this by putting the franchise tag on him for the moment. They did this so they could work out the contract matters, but both sides have been barely communicating. With Mahomes about to sign a huge contract in the near future, the Chiefs might not be able to afford him and they may look to trade him. While this may be true, some fans have argued that they should try their best to keep Jones as he is a vicious beast on the field. Let’s now look at both sides of the debate to see whether or not the Chiefs should trade or not trade Chris Jones.
The Chiefs Should Keep Chris Jones (Affirmation)
The Chiefs should keep Chris Jones largely due to the fact that he a legitimate game-changer on that defense. He was able to achieve 9 sacks this season, along with 36 combined tackles, 8 tackles-for-loss, and 20 QB hits in just 13 games. This means he’s able to disrupt rushing lanes and cause quarterbacks to be under an insane amount of pressure. If the Chiefs lost him, then the defense would suffer due to it; and with a defense that already has a poor rushing defense, it has a chance to finish last in that department with a substantial decrease in the passing defense as well.
The Chiefs Shouldn’t Keep Chris Jones (Negation)
The main reason why we can’t keep Chris Jones is that we might not be able to afford him once his franchise tag is up. Mahomes will have a substantial deal coming into 2021 with rumblings of him making $35 million per year or more, which will take a good amount of the Chiefs cap space. We also have to draw on the fact that other players need new contracts like Watkins, whose deal ends in 2020, and Kelce, whose deal ends in 2021. The Chiefs still need money to pay those players in the next two years and if Jones takes a $100 million dollar deal, they will lose key players on their roster. Unless Jones decides to take less money or if Mahomes takes less than the $35 million he’s expected to make, we will not be able to afford him, which will result in a trade due to the value he brings.
Another reason why the Chiefs should trade him is the cause of how he’s been acting since the tag. Of course, if a player gets franchised tagged when they’re expecting a blockbuster deal could make them angry and I understand that. Jones has shown that anger in a rather odd manner. Jones has been absent from the virtual OTAs that have taken place and he won’t be in the in-person ones when they resume. Even though they aren’t mandatory, he should still be attending to set an example for rookies/backups. There has also been no shed of negotiation talks since the tag, according to Ian Rapoport, between the two sides anyways, which makes this point better validated.
In closing, this is the case for Chris Jones’s situation. Now, it’s your time to shine! Should Jones be traded or should the try their absolute best to keep him? Leave a comment down below to join the discussion! Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day.
