The Kansas City Chiefs arrived for the NFL Scouting Combine with a focus on identifying players in the 2024 NFL Draft who could help them three-peat as Super Bowl champions. However, Chiefs’ general manager Brett Veach revealed something else that will impact NFL free agency.
After winning Super Bowl LVIII, Kansas City made it clear that retaining All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones this offseason was their top priority. However, the likely cost of a new deal for Jones likely would’ve meant the team might not be able to retain top cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
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- Kansas City Chiefs cap space 2024: $15.222 million
Jones and Sneed are both eligible for NFL free agency this offseason. While City wants to retain both and has the franchise tag at its disposal, the expectation was that Jones would be re-signed and Sneed would be allowed to walk on the open market.
Cost is the primary rationale. Because of the contract incentives Jones earned last season, it would cost the Chiefs around $32 million guaranteed if they tagged Jones in 2024. For a team with limited cap space, the automatic $31-plus million cap hit would severely diminish the club’s chance of winning a bidding war on the open market for Sneed.
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Speaking to reporters at the NFL Combine, Chiefs’ general manager Brett Veach revealed that he ‘anticipates’ using the franchise tag this offseason. While he didn’t say which player the tag would be used on, the reasonable assumption is it would be Sneed.
The franchise tag for a cornerback in 2024 is $19.802 million, making it a far more cost-effective option than franchising Jones. However, Jones wants to become one of the highest-paid NFL players and that comes at its own massive cost.
Not using the franchise tag on Jones either means the Chiefs intend to re-sign him before NFL free agency opens (March 11) or they are going to let him hit the market. If that’s the case, it would likely be a scenario where Kansas City allows him to negotiate with other teams and then he’ll return to the Chiefs with an offer.
The risk of that is rival clubs structuring a contract to be as painful for the Chiefs to match as possible. Still, Veach’s comments make it fairly clear that Kansas City is very committed to doing whatever it takes to retain Sneed and Jones.
