It sounds like Chris Jones has some regrets about the way his messy contract standoff in 2023 shook out.
The Kansas City Chiefs star defensive tackle hinted at that remorse when discussing right guard Trey Smith signing the Chiefs’ franchise tag this year. Smith, who Kansas City still hopes to ink to a long-term deal, showed up to the first day of mandatory minicamp Tuesday.
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“Well, it’s good Trey didn’t take my approach,” Jones joked after practice before drawing laughter from reporters and then cracking a smile.
Jones continued, via KCTV5: “Trey’s doing the right thing, man. Don’t take no advice from me. I did things a little different. Don’t take no advice from me.
“Trey, you in a good place.”
Looking for a new contract while entering the final season of a four-year, $80 million deal, Jones held out throughout the 2023 preseason. At the time, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa had recently signed a five-year, $170 million deal.
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Jones was looking for a raise, and the first-team All-Pro and Super Bowl champion hinted he was willing to sit out until at least Week 8 for added leverage. He started to follow through on those stakes, watching a Week 1 loss to a soon-to-be breakout Lions team from a suite at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Mississippi State product finally put an end to the drama, which included millions of dollars of fines, when he agreed to a lucrative, one-year contract on Sept. 11 of that year. That short-term solution set the stage for the five-year, $95 million guaranteed deal he signed the following offseason.
Even though Jones didn’t waver in his loyalty to the Chiefs during that saga, he did hold out and create a loud, drawn-out distraction that could have been avoided.
Smith has been steering clear of that circus by signing the non-exclusive franchise tag, which will earn the 26-year-old guard $23.4 million unless he agrees to a new deal before the July 15 deadline.
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“Franchise tag is like $25 million, right?” Jones said Tuesday, via KCTV5. “That’s the big bucks. Yeah, he’s in a good place. Stay healthy, be ready to compete in training camp, which I know Trey will be, and we’re excited to have him around.”
Protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes is priority No. 1 in Kansas City, especially after last season’s Super Bowl defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Chiefs see Smith as a key ingredient to that recipe.
Smith, a sixth-round pick out of Tennessee in 2021, made his first Pro Bowl last season after allowing only one sack and 34 pressures, both single-season career lows according to Pro Football Focus.
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“I think the future plans for the Chiefs is to have Trey around,” Jones said, via KCTV5. “He’s a pivotal part of our offensive line. To have him back out here — he’s superior guard in this league. Could be an All-Pro this year.
“His body of work speaks for itself, so we’re glad to have him back out. He brings a lot of energy to the offensive line, and it’s a good way for us to compete on the defensive line.”
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