Free agency may cost Chiefs stars
When Andy Reid sought to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl 58 victory with Chris Jones on Sunday night, he created one of the indelible images of a fully emerged dynasty.
The Chiefs coach found his star defensive tackle taking in the moment on the Allegiant Stadium grass and promptly embraced him by hopping on top of the five-time Pro Bowler.
Pinning Jones to the ground and not letting go, of course, might be the most cost-effective way to prevent him from bolting to another franchise.
More seriously, the moment highlighted what could be a farewell for the two sides, as Jones is ticketed for free agency.
“I know there’s a possibility this could be my last game with the Chiefs. You just take it all in,” Jones said last Wednesday in the lead-up to the 25-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers. “I’ll let the offseason do its thing. I don’t really focus on it. I’m not too worried about it. After everything is settled and the dust clears, we’ll see where we’re at.”
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach knows how difficult it is to keep a championship core together, having parted with several key contributors over the years. Keeping Jones and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed are priorities, but the team has limited space to operate as the organization has a little more than $24 million in cap space at the moment, according to OverTheCap.com.
“Sometimes I look at our situation and I’m like, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to do this,’ but we usually work through things systematically and have a list of the priorities,” Veach said Thursday. “Certainly, Chris and LJ are at the top of the list. It’s extremely hard because you have two keystone players there.”
With Super Bowl 58 wrapped up, here’s our look at five offseason tasks for the Chiefs.
1. Figure out a plan of attack for Jones’ impending free agency
Jones provided another reminder of his dominance in the Super Bowl.
With the 49ers facing a third-and-4 from the Kansas City 9-yard line in overtime, Jones barreled through the San Francisco line to pressure Brock Purdy into throwing away the ball despite Jauan Jennings breaking free toward the right sideline for what could have been a touchdown. Kyle Shanahan and Co. settled for a field goal, opening the door for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to secure the game-winning score on the ensuing drive. That marked the second time in the game Jones kept the 49ers out of the end zone as he also forced Purdy to overthrow Deebo Samuel on an earlier prime opportunity.
If the Chiefs want more of those heroics, they’ll have to pay handsomely.
Kansas City resolved last season’s contract standoff that extended into Week 1 by giving Jones a revised oneyear, $19.5 million deal. This time around, the solution likely won’t come nearly as cheaply. Issuing the franchise tag would cost more than $32 million, which would be the largest tag hit for a non-quarterback in NFL history. A longterm deal would provide more cap flexibility in the short term, but that could necessitate a payout approaching the range of 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, who last year became the NFL’s highestpaid defensive player with a five-year, $170 million deal.
And if the Chiefs let Jones walk? Good luck replacing a player who ranked second only to the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald among defensive tackles with a 20% pass rush win rate despite being doubled a league-high 72%, according to ESPN. Steve Spagnuolo and Co. would need to make up for his production in aggregate, as there’s no reasonable fill-in in the draft or free agency. While the Chiefs would have more flexibility in retaining their other free agents, a departure would be troublesome for a front four that produced middling results despite Jones’ work.
2. The need for Sneed?
Talk about good timing for a defensive back. Sneed played his way into what should be a massive payday thanks to his breakout season in a contract year.
A former nickel corner, Sneed proved more than capable of handling himself on the outside as he became one of the NFL’s most smothering coverage matchups. He seemed to relish the opportunity to travel with No. 1 receivers, and he also brought a physical presence to defending against the run.
Like Jones, Sneed voiced a desire to remain. But keeping the talented cover man off a market that no doubt would prize him won’t be easy. A franchise tag could cost north of $19 million. If Kansas City could agree to a multiyear contract, the team could lock in one of the NFL’s most formidable secondaries thanks to the presence of All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, who should be under contract for three more seasons if the team exercises his fifth-year option.
3. Get Mahomes a big-play wide receiver
Kansas City managed to scrape by with a ragtag crew of receivers. That doesn’t mean this year’s setup was in any way tenable. Bedeviled by drops and a lack of deep speed and play-making ability in his receiving corps, Mahomes posted the lowest yards per attempt figure (7.0) of his career.
The booming market for pass catchers could prohibit Veach from landing a true difference-maker on the open market. If he instead turns to the draft, his best-case options for downfield threats at No. 32 might be LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. or Florida State’s Keon Coleman, though both could be gone by that point. Other realistic first-round possibilities include Oregon’s Troy Franklin (our pick in USA TODAY Sports’ latest NFL mock draft) or Texas teammates Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy. In a deep class at receiver, however, the Chiefs could always wait until Day 2 to address the position.
4. Revisit the protection plan
The first half of Super Bowl 58 provided somewhat of a flashback to three years ago, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers relentlessly chased Mahomes in an eventual blowout. Despite rarely blitzing, San Francisco notched two sacks before halftime while throwing Kansas City’s offense off its game.
The 49ers’ front four appeared to wear down, however, and Mahomes discovered his three-time Super Bowl MVP form. But for an organization that has repeatedly retooled its offensive front with its star signal-caller in mind, a wellness check is probably in order.
Left guard Joe Thuney should be back to his reliable form after missing the game with a pectoral injury, and Reid has stuck by right tackle Jawaan Taylor despite his league-leading penalty count. Left tackle Donovan Smith, however, is set to become a free agent after signing a one-year deal last offseason. Center Creed Humphrey, meanwhile, needs to get a handle on the snapping issues that have been plaguing him and the rest of the offense.
5. Keep hunting for bargains in free agency
If Kansas City keeps one or both of Jones and Sneed, that likely means saying goodbye to a number of other players. Linebackers Willie Gay Jr. and Drue Tranquill, defensive end Mike Danna and safety Mike Edwards are among the figures on defense on expiring deals, while wide receiver Mecole Hardman and running back Jerick McKinnon also face uncertain futures.
Free agency, then, could require the Chiefs to scour for low-cost stopgap solutions to round out the roster.