The latest on Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones’ new contracts

The Kansas City Chiefs have some decisions to make this offseason when it comes to some of their best players in quarterback Patrick Mahomes and defensive tackle Chris Jones.

Now done with the third year of his rookie deal, Mahomes is due for an extension and is expected to sign the richest contract in league history. After not coming to terms on a new contract last offseason, Jones’ rookie deal is up. It remains to be seen how the Chiefs handle the contract for one of their best defensive players.

Here is what we learned this week:

Patrick Mahomes

“Both sides are committed to getting a deal done here,” said NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “Both sides are also committed to winning and trying to build a dynasty in Kansas City... there is no question here that Patrick Mahomes at the end of this negotiation is going to be the highest paid player in the NFL, surpassing Russell Wilson — he’s earned that. It would mean an average salary of over $25 million per year. But everyone involved also has a vested interest in being mindful of how this contact impacts the rest of the Chiefs roster.”

Pelissero added that the timetable is likely going to be sometime after free agency and the draft, which takes place in April. We also know that a deal won’t be reached until the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the league and the NFL Players Association has been made, as that could open up room to pay Mahomes even more. The current CBA expires at the end of the 2020 season.

Chris Jones

Chris Jones also needs a new contract, and we know that in a perfect world, he would like to stay in Kansas City. Jones was talking “dynasty” immediately following the Super Bowl win, but it is worth wondering if he has played his last game as a Chief.

He also tweeted out Friday that it has “always been the plan” to remain a Chief:

We have written before that back in April, NFL dot com projected that Jones would sign for somewhere in the range of $18-22 million. So with Mahomes’ new deal, along with last offseason’s contracts to bring Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu aboard, the question is this:

Do the Chiefs have enough money to pay Jones what he will command? For what it’s worth, Clark would like to see his Sack Nation mate stay in Kansas City:

But that is likely not in the cards, at least according to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller.

Miller says league insiders believe Jones will be traded to an NFC team after being franchise-tagged by the team. This has always been the most likely scenario, but we will see if things change as the offseason carries on.