The recent Tweet from Chris Jones in reply to our very own Arrowhead Live Tweet saying that he would sit out the season, much like Le’ Veon Bell did, set Twitter ablaze last night.
Jones is an absolute superstar in the NFL and after Aaron Donald there may not be a better interior defensive lineman in the NFL. If the Chiefs are going to trade him they need to get an absolute massive haul in return. There are some options out there for them.
With the recent threat of a hold out, what are some perfect trade scenarios for the Kansas City Chiefs involving Jones? This week’s Power Rankings Digest takes a look at just that.
1. Chris Jones to the New York Jets for Jamal Adams
This is the one that seems to make too much sense. Adams wants out of the New York Jets and the Jets could afford to pay Chris Jones. The Jets have a little over $24 million in cap which would be plenty of space to add him along their front. The saving the Chiefs would get by trading for Adams would also be massive. Adams has two more years on his rookie deal if you include the 5th year option. He would also be cheaper long term. The highest paid safety in the NFL right now is only just over $14 million. Jones is reportedly asking for $21 million a year. The savings would easily allow for the Chiefs to sign Mahomes and some other players along the front to replace Jones.
2. Chris Jones to the Arizona Cardinals for Patrick Peterson and Andy Isabella
The Pat Peterson rumors or hopes have been whispered for a couple seasons now. This trade would reunite Tyrann Matieu and Peterson who played together in Arizona. One of the major question marks on the defense is being the corner opposite Charvarius Ward, and this move would turn that weakness into a strength. Peterson will be 30 soon and would be a discount compared to Jones wanted salary. Andy Isabella is an interesting WR for the Cardinals. He was the 62nd overall pick for the Cardinals. He only had nine catches all of 2019. With the addition of DeAndre Hopkins he is just going to get pushed further and further down the depth chart. He could come to Kansas City and fit right in with the Legion of Zoom. Isabella ran a 4.31 at the combine. With Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson only on short term deals, Isabella could sit and learn for a year and step in and be the third WR after Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman. That is pure speed at the WR position.
3. Chris Jones to the Detroit Lions for a 2021 1st, 2021 3rd and Justin Coleman
Detroit could use a dominate force along the interior and Head Coach Matt Patricia is a defensive minded coach to begin with. Detroit was actually playing decent before Matt Stafford went down with injury last year and gave the Chiefs all they wanted when they played in 2019. Having the additionally picks could be magic for a General Manager like Brett Veach. Justin Coleman is an interesting player. He is a 5’11” 190 pound CB that has played for the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in addition to the Lions. He started all of his past three years, but the Lions just brought in Desmond Trufant in free agency and drafted Jeffrey Okudah with the first round pick. This leaves Coleman as the odd man out. He could add depth at the CB position and potentially start for Kansas City. This could be a trade that solves a short term issue and helps them build for the future.
4. Chris Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars for 2021 1st, 2021 3rd, and Cam Robinson
The Jacksonville defense is not what it used to be in previous years. Jones would be a very good step in the right direction to getting it back to where it was. The Jaguars also have an extra first round pick from the Los Angeles Rams. Cam Robinson is massive guard who could compete for a starting job right now. There can never be too many options along the interior of the offensive line and especially with how the injury bug hit the Chiefs guards in 2019. This, like the trade scenario with the Lions, addresses a short term issue and helps build for the future.
5. Chris Jones to the Seattle Seahawks for 2021 1st, 2021 3rd, 2021 5th, and Tre Flowers
This is another trade that loads up on picks and addresses the corner position. Draft picks are great for Kansas City because it allows them to pay their big names while allowing Brett Veach to find cheap talent in the draft. The thought of Veach having extra draft picks is beautiful. He has done a terrific job thus far in Kansas City in most of his drafts. Along with the draft picks, Seattle would send over corner Tre Flowers. Flowers is a long corner at 6’3”. He previously played with the Patriots for four years and the Lions for one. He is currently a depth guy in Seattle and would add competition to the Chiefs secondary.
The thought of losing Chris Jones is a scary one. He is such a dominate player in the NFL. The threat of sitting out is a real one though and the July 15th deadline is rapidly approaching. If the Chiefs think they really won’t get Jones on the field this year with either a new deal or through the franchise tag they need to trade him now and maximize their return. It would be a very unfortunate loss. But, like they say, the NFL is a business.
