The Kansas City Chiefs have all the pieces in place to repeat as Super Bowl champions. As they seek to become one of the best NFL dynasties ever, general manager Brett Veach must balance the club’s long-term outlook and its immediate future.
Heading into the summer, Kansas City ranked 31st in salary cap space with just under $700,000 in cap room to spend. For a team in the mix to sign DeAndre Hopkins, who is seeking a lucrative contract, there isn’t enough cap space to sign him.
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However, there is an avenue for Kansas City to change that. Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones and L’Jarius Sneed are all eligible for contract extensions this summer. With Mahomes signed through 2031, he isn’t the top priority, but extending Jones before the regular season is on the table.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Sunday’s SportsCenter that the Chiefs are open to extending Jones this summer, creating immediate cap space that would provide them with room to make additional moves.
Jones, one of the NFL Top 100 players in 2023, is in the final year of his contract. Owed a $19.5 million salary this season, there are significant incentives for the Chiefs to extend his contract right now.
- Chris Jones contract: $28.29 million cap hit
The Chiefs have reportedly discussed a multi-year extension with Jones, with the parameters of a deal that would add three or four years to his existing contract. Not only would an extension prevent him from hitting free agency and make him one of the highest-paid NFL players, it would also create significant cap space.
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While the exact cap savings would depend on the contract Jones signed, OverTheCap.com projects that the Chiefs could generate upwards of $10 million in cap space through a contract extension. That would be enough money to make a competitive offer to Hopkins, potentially providing Kansas City with a chance to sign him and keep him away from the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns.
