Chiefs' Updated Salary Cap for 2024 NFL Season After Chris Jones' $158.8M Contract

The Kansas City Chiefs have made three-time Super Bowl champion Chris Jones the highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL.

Jones' five-year, $158.8 million deal locks him in with the Chiefs through the 2028 season at an average annual value of $31.8 million, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Thanks to roster and signing bonuses, the Chiefs have a fair amount of salary cap flexibility throughout the deal.

With several major decisions left to make, the Chiefs currently sit $5.2 million over the cap. Here's a breakdown of the current cap situation, and how the Jones contract changed things.

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2024 Chiefs Salary Cap Breakdown: Top 10 Biggest Cap Hits (per Over the Cap)

Patrick Mahomes: $58.6 million cap hit

Joe Thuney: $26.9 million

Jawaan Taylor: $24.7 million

L'Jarius Sneed: $19.8 million

Travis Kelce: $15.4 million

Justin Reid: $14.2 million

Charles Omenihu: $10.97 million

Chris Jones: $7.35 million

Creed Humphrey: $5.2 million

Harrison Butker: $4.8 million

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Salary Cap Analysis

Because of a $30 million signing bonus that will be paid out by April 2025, Jones' contract will count just $7.35 against the cap in 2024, according to NBC Sports' Mike Florio and Over the Cap.

That means the five-time Pro Bowler's contract will take up just 2.9 percent of the Chiefs' cap next season.

Jones' cap hit is set to rise to $34.85 million as the rest of the signing bonus gets paid out in 2025, but that bonus could be used to restructure the deal before the season.

Several more moves need to be made before the Chiefs start to firm up their salary cap plans for next season.

That includes a restructuring of Mahomes' contract to cut back on the $58.6 million cap hit currently threatening to take up almost a quarter of the Chiefs' cap, per Over the Cap. The Chiefs could convert part of that hit into a signing bonus in order to gain more flexibility.

The Chiefs also need to make a decision on franchise-tagged cornerback L'Jarius Sneed. The tag would put Sneed's salary at $19.8 million he'll be owed under the tag, but the two sides could still agree to a longer-term deal or a trade, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Those two decisions will shape what the rest of the Chiefs' salary cap like looks like next season and for the near future. Luckily, they have flexibility thanks to the structure of Jones' contract.

Even more importantly, they have Jones himself. He was a key part of the Chiefs' second-ranked defense and allowed an opposing passer rating of just 56.2 in 2024.