Chris Jones isn’t trying to match or beat Aaron Donald

Because the contract deadlock lingers between the Chiefs and defensive sort out Chris Jones, there’s some stuff floating round within the media that has mischaracterized Jones’s expectations.

In response to an merchandise claiming that Jones is making an attempt to beat the Aaron Donald contract ($31.67 million per yr) and that the Chiefs are being cheap and that Jones isn’t, we placed on our journalisming hat and tracked down the reality.

Per a supply with data of the scenario, the Chiefs have provided to interchange the $19.5 million that Jones is because of earn in 2023 with $74 million over the following three years. Of that quantity, $70 million can be assured for damage, with a decrease quantity totally assured.

That’s a mean of $24.67 million, and $7 million per yr lower than the Donald deal. Jones, we’re informed, isn’t making an attempt to get to Donald’s quantity. In actual fact, he’d cut up the distinction.

The midpoint between the staff’s provide and the Donald deal is $28.17 million.

In different phrases, as a substitute of $95 million over three years (the Donald deal), Jones would take $84.5 million over three. The Chiefs, once more, are at $74 million over three years.

The issue for Jones has been the cluster of contracts signed by defensive tackles this offseason within the vary of $22.5 million to $23.5 million. The Chiefs have been making an attempt to maintain Jones in that normal neighborhood. Jones has been aiming increased. And whereas the Donald deal has justified Jones’s ambitions, Jones will not be making an attempt to match or beat Donald.

By way of all of it, the clock is ticking. Whereas there’s no particular deadline for doing the deal, the last word deadline is Thursday night time, when the Chiefs host the Lions. The earlier one thing will get carried out, the extra possible Jones might be able to go when the common season commences.