Despite being one of the highest-paid DTs in the league, Chris Jones’ contract rarely looks out of place with his performances for the Kansas City Chiefs. Let’s take a closer look at Jones’ contract with the Chiefs and his salary cap number for the 2023 NFL season.
Chris Jones’ Contract Details
Jones’ contract is a four-year, $80 million deal that includes $60 million in guarantees. His average annual salary is $20 million, and the contract contained no signing bonus. In 2023, Jones’ contract expects to count for $28.292 million against the Chiefs’ salary cap, with a base salary of $19.5 million.
Intriguingly, the contract Jones signed contained no recognized signing bonus. However, it had $37.626 million in salary and roster bonuses fully guaranteed at signing, as well as a $1.5 million bonus paid to him ahead of the 2020 season.
At the time Jones signed the deal in 2020, he had been franchise tagged by Kansas City for that season, but this contract replaced the franchise tag as opposed to being an extension. Therefore, Jones’ four-year contract runs from 2020 through the 2023 season, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
The Chiefs restructured Jones’ deal in 2021, converting a $20 million roster bonus into a signing bonus. That signing bonus was prorated across the remaining three years of the contract at $6.667 million per year.
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In 2023, Jones is set to count for $28.292 million against Kansas City’s salary cap — the highest number for a DT in the NFL as it stands on Feb. 9. Included in his cap number is $1.25 million after Jones met his 10-sack incentive in 2022. Here’s how his 2023 cap number breaks down:
- Salary: $19.5 million
- Restructure 1 (Prorated): $375,000
- Restructure 2 (Prorated): $6.667 million
- Workout Bonus: $500,000
- Sack Incentive from 2022: $1.25 million
- 2023 Cap Number: $28.292 million
It seems unlikely the Chiefs would cut or trade Jones ahead of the 2023 season. But if they do, the only dead money would be the $7.042 million from the two restructuring bonuses.
It seems more likely that if Kansas City is looking to reduce Jones’ 2023 cap number, they would do it by extending him. Jones’ current market value estimation by Spotrac places an extension in the region of $30 million a year across four years.
Jones’ Net Worth
Jones’ net worth is estimated to be around $3-5 million. Those estimations appear to be slightly on the low side, given that his NFL career earnings are currently $67.506 million. If Jones plays out the final year of his current contract, his career earnings will reach $84.506 million.
