Four days after a loss in their season opener, the Chiefs have gotten back their most influential defensive player.
Chris Jones and Kansas City have agreed to terms on a new one-year contract, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
The team later announced the deal.
“Chris is an elite player in this league, and over the last seven years, he’s really developed into a leader on our team,” general manager Brett Veach said in a statement. “He’s been instrumental to our success and Super Bowl championship runs and it was a priority for us to keep him in a Chiefs uniform. I’d like to thank Chris and his representation, Michael and Jason Katz, for their desire and patience to get this done. Through this process two things were obvious, Chris wanted to be a Chief, and the Katz brothers worked diligently on his behalf.”
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The new agreement finally ends a holdout that began at the start of training camp and bled into Week 1 of the regular season, when Jones did not suit up for Kansas City’s 21-20 loss against the Detroit Lions.
Jones accrued daily fines of $50,000 for each day missed in camp and lost a game check. Heading into the season, he was set to make a base salary of $19.5 million in base salary. Just how substantial of a raise Jones has received has yet to be reported.
Whatever the price, Jones has definitely proven his worth. The four-time Pro Bowler has established himself as one of the top players at his position and a difference-maker in the locker room and on the field. He’s won two Super Bowls with Kansas City and is coming off a first-team All-Pro season where he tied his career high with 15.5 sacks.
Jones had hinted at sitting out through Week 8 if necessary amid his contract talks. Instead, the star defender is returning to boost the Chiefs’ championship defense far earlier.
It remains to be seen how quickly Jones is able to ramp up and what kind of snap count he might see in the upcoming Week 2 game against the Jaguars, but fans can rest easy knowing he’ll be down on the field making an impact soon rather than watching from home or a suite, as he did while his Chiefs fell to 0-1 to start the year.
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