The Kansas City Chiefs are going through changes this year. Key players such as Juju Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman have been traded off in the offseason, while players such as WR Kadarius Toney are prepping to take over the starting positions on the roster. The team also let go of Offensive Coordinator Eric Beineimy, who spent 10 seasons with the team. Under new OC Matt Nagy, it will be interesting to see how Patrick Mahomes shines in a new offensive playbook for the 2023 season. 

But amidst the major developments taking place, the Chiefs are still yet to figure out their stance with one of their key players. And this player has been a defensive guardian for the team, holding back rivals on the field for years. 

How are things looking for Chris Jones?

When the team drafted Patrick Mahomes as their QB in 2017, they also brought in DT Chris Jones. And last season, Jones had the best season of his career with career-highs of 15.5 sacks, 29 QB hits, and 17 tackles for loss. He signed a four-year deal worth $80 million back in 2020. But after his extraordinary value for the Chiefs on the field last year, Chris Jones will be looking forward to inking a new deal with the team. 

But the team has yet not been able to negotiate a long-term contract with their DT. And this led to Jones holding out from attending training camp. ESPN’s Diana Russini recently gave an update on the DT’s situation on the Pat McAfee show. She said that Jones is looking to be amongst the highest-paid DTs in the league. Russini also stated that while the number Jones wants is “big”, she feels that the negotiation might be successful very soon. Currently, the 28-year-old is being fined $50,000 for every practice that he misses.

Read more: Patrick Mahomes’ Defensive Wall Hits a $30 Million Roadblock Years After $450 Million QB’s Contract Gesture

And while the situation with Jones is unclear, there is another elephant in the room that the team needs to address. And that is the contract of Patrick Mahomes. 

Does Patrick Mahomes need a better contract?

Back in 2020, Patrick Mahomes signed a 10-year contract worth $503 million. He became the highest-paid QB in the league with this deal. But since then, other QBs have gone on to sign bigger contracts with their teams. After Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson paved the way with their multi-million deals, Los Angeles Chargers agreed to a five-year $262 million deal with their QB Justin Herbert. And now, these QBs have a higher annual average salary than the 2X  SB Champion. This means that the 27-year-old QB places 7th in terms of the highest-paid QBs in the league. 

It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs deal with these two players in the coming days ahead. While Chris Jones might be up for a better deal in the next few days, can the same be said about Patrick Mahomes?

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