The Kansas City Chiefs chose to place their franchise tag on Chris Jones this offseason, but that wasn't their original plan. While Kansas City attempts to maneuver their cap situation, the Chiefs were reportedly hoping that Jones would take a hometown discount.
After his rookie contract ended after the 2019 season, Jones made it clear that he wanted a long-term deal with the Chiefs. However, Kansas City has a certain someone named Patrick Mahomes that needs a ground-breaking contract in the near future.
With that in mind, the Chiefs realize that they aren't going to be able to keep everybody. That is unless they can convince some players, like Jones, to take discounts.
In his first four seasons, Jones severely outplayed his rookie salary, earning himself a raise in free agency. Altogether, as a second-round pick in 2016, Jones made $6.2 million in his four years with the Chiefs.
By signing the franchise tag this offseason, Jones would be set to make $16.1 million. Even though that's a massive raise from his rookie wage, Jones wasn't on board with the idea of getting tagged.
Over the course of his four-year career, Jones has amassed 33 sacks, 37 tackles for loss, and seven forced fumbles. Just this past season, the Mississippi State product proved that he's arguably the most important player on Kansas City's defense. Therefore, he wanted to be rewarded as such.
After winning a Super Bowl, the Chiefs were hoping that Jones would help the team by taking a cheaper long-term deal. But Kansas City is going to find out that having a dynasty in the salary-cap era is tougher than the New England Patriots made it look.
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