NFL Rumors: Chiefs 'Optimistic' on Chris Jones Contract Before Training Camp Starts

The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly have some confidence that they will be able to sign All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones to a new contract in the near future.

During an appearance on SportsCenter on Tuesday morning, ESPN NFL insider Jeff Darlington said the following about where things stand with Jones and the Chiefs:

"The Chiefs would like to give him that long-term extension. I'm told that they are still optimistic that this will get done, likely before training camp for Chris Jones. And this is significant for a number of reasons, not just the contract itself. The Chiefs right now are just barely below the salary cap, one of the highest salary caps right now in the league. If they can do that deal with Jones, they can ultimately bring his [annual] number down."

Presently, Jones is set to enter the final year of a four-year, $80 million contract extension he signed with the Chiefs in 2020.

Per Spotrac, Jones is in line to make just over $20 million this season, but he has a cap hit in excess of $28 million.

As mentioned by Darlington, OverTheCap.com lists the Chiefs as having the lowest amount of cap space in the NFL currently at just over $400,000. That is about $1 million less than the next closest team.

In addition to locking in Jones for years to come, signing him to an extension would help the Chiefs bring down his 2023 cap number and create some much-needed breathing room as well.

The 29-year-old Jones, who is a four-time Pro Bowler, one-time First-Team All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion, is coming off the best season of his career.

Jones matched his career highs with 15.5 sacks and 29 quarterback hits, set a new career high with 44 tackles and also registered 17 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

Additionally, Jones had two sacks in three playoff games, as the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in the past four seasons.

The bulk of the credit for the Chiefs' success in recent years has gone to head coach Andy Reid and the top stars on offense, such as quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who was traded to the Miami Dolphins last offseason.

Kansas CIty's defense is often overlooked, but there is little doubt that Jones is the top performer on that side of the ball and equally deserving of praise as the aforementioned players.

It is entirely possible that the Chiefs don't have two Super Bowl wins under their belt without Jones, and that fact alone makes it difficult to envision KC allowing him to hit free agency and potentially sign elsewhere.