Chris Jones And The Kansas City Chiefs Reportedly Not Making Much Progress In Extension Talks

Chris Jones and the Kansas City Chiefs are still working on agreeing on a contract extension but the two sides are reportedly not making much progress. The NFL Network’s James Palmer posted that sources told him on Friday that the team does want Jones back, long term, but the coronavirus pandemic is impacting talks. The reporter said that teams are struggling with knowing what the salary cap is going to be for the 2021 season and are hoping the league will provide some clarity in the next few weeks.

Palmer mentioned July 15 as the deadline when a player offered a franchise tag can be signed to a longer-term deal. The Chiefs aren’t the only ones that are going to have to worry about a decrease in the salary cap. Adam Wells of Bleacher Report pointed out there that there are some who believe the cap could be reduced by as much as $30 million for next season. At issue is whether or not the league is going to be able to have fans in the stands. If games need to be played in front of empty seats, the cap could be lowered by as much as $80 million.

Jones has made it clear before he isn’t happy about the Chiefs putting the franchise tag on him. He made an appearance back in February on Colin Cowherd’s show where he talked about the “mixed emotions” he felt about the one-year deal that comes along with the franchise tag.

“It’s like, ‘What else y’all want me to do?” Jones said on the show.

“I’ve got to go ahead and get 30 sacks—35 sacks—to show y’all I can.”

As The Inquisitr reported last month, Friday’s report isn’t the first time there have been rumors that things aren’t going well between Jones and the Chiefs. The earlier report said the two sides hadn’t had any discussions about a new contract extension since March. That would be about the time the coronavirus pandemic started to cause the shutdown of most of the country, including all professional sports.

Talk earlier this week that there hasn’t been much progress made could still be tied to when the league started dealing with the possibility of canceling the season outright, or playing it without any fans in attendance.

This is the second straight offseason Jones and the Chiefs have gone through this process. Last year, he was also given the franchise tag and there was some concern he wouldn’t report to fall camp. Eventually, he decided to report to work and helped the Chiefs win the Super Bowl.