The Kansas City Chiefs and Chris Jones agreed late Saturday on the framework of a five-year contract that includes $95 million guaranteed and keeps the All-Pro defensive tackle off the free agent market, according to multiple reports.
Jones, who turns 30 in July, will become one of the highest-paid defensive players in NFL history, just behind the $34 million average annual salary that is being earned by San Francisco pass rusher Nick Bosa. The deal eclipses the $31.6 million average of Rams defensive end Aaron Donald, who had long represented the financial benchmark for a defensive player.
His agents, Michael and Jason Katz, tweeted congratulations in a post on X, formally known as Twitter, to “the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.”
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Last season, the Chiefs and Jones entered a stalemate that saw the five-time Pro Bowler sit out until Week 2, when he agreed to a 1-year contract.
Jones, who has played for the Chiefs since entering the NFL in 2016, recorded 10.5 sacks in the regular season and helped the Chiefs secure their second Super Bowl victory in a row and the third in five years.