The Chiefs’ efforts to get a new deal worked out with Chris Jones appear to have yielded progress. An extension for the All-Pro defensive tackle may be on the horizon.

During a Tuesday SportsCenter appearance, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that Kansas City remains optimistic with respect to finalizing a Chiefs extension (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). Jones’ current contract has one year remaining on it, with a scheduled cap hit of $28.3MM. Working out another multi-year pact has been on the Chiefs’ radar since before the new league year began in March.

The 29-year-old skipped out on the Chiefs’ minicamp with contract talks ongoing. Jones’ intention is to place himself second in the pecking order at the D-tackle spot, behind only Aaron Donald‘s $31.6MM AAV. Accomplishing that feat would require leapfrogging a number of interior defenders who have landed massive extensions of their own in recent months. Chiefs GM Brett Veach has struck an optimistic tone regarding the chances of a Jones agreement being worked out at some point this summer.

More specifically, training camp has been named as a logical deadline for negotiations to produce an agreement. Darlington’s report, to no surprise, states that a deal prior to the beginning of camp is “likely.” Kansas City would be well-suited to get a Jones deal on the books not only to ensure cost certainty for future seasons, but also because of the immediate cap benefits it would yield.

Lowering Jones’ cap number would free up spending power for the remainder of the offseason; the Chiefs currently sit at the bottom of the league in available funds with just over $400K. Generating cap space could put Kansas City back into contention for free agent wideout DeAndre Hopkins, who is reportedly waiting on the Jones deal to be finalized before seeing how serious of a push the Chiefs could make to sign him. Clarity on the latter point could emerge soon if a Jones extension is indeed close to the finish line.

Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones has sat out mandatory minicamp as he pursues a new contract. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like negotiations are acrimonious in any way. Speaking to reporters during the team’s Super Bowl ring ceremony, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach indicated that negotiations are going well and that everyone involved wants a deal to be completed.

[RELATED: Chris Jones Seeking To Become Second-Highest-Paid DT]

“We have great communication and there’s a lot of time before camp,” Veach said (h/t to Jordan Foote of SI.com). “[I] feel good about where we’re going to be with Chris. We’ll get to celebrate tonight and have a good time, break tomorrow, and I’m sure we’ll have great dialogue from now to the start of training camp and look forward to Chris being here not just for next year, but for a long time.”

The GM wouldn’t commit to a specific deadline for the two sides to agree to an extension. Rather, Veach expressed optimism that negotiations will follow the same path as some of the front office’s previous extension talks.

“Not really,” Veach said when asked if there was a specific timeframe. “Listen, we have a long history together and we have a great relationship with his agent. I mean, these things usually get worked out right before [or] right during the first start of camp so we anticipate the same, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Jones finished third for Defensive Player of the Year honors this past season after compiling 15.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, and 29 QB hits. At $20MM per year, Jones is currently the NFL’s eighth-highest-paid defensive tackle, and he’s set to hit free agency following the season. The Chiefs could ultimately just decide to hit him with the franchise tag, but that guaranteed top-five salary at the position still might not be enough for the veteran.

We heard earlier this week that Jones was seeking a contract that would make him the league’s second-highest-paid defensive tackle. Aaron Donald leads the way with a $31.7MM-per-year number, but there’s an $8MM gap in AAV before we get to Jeffery Simmons. Jones could still slide in second on the list without completely breaking the bank. While the organization has recently moved off players like Tyreek Hill before committing big money, it doesn’t sound like they’ll proceed with the same mentality when it comes to their defensive leader.

While the extensions for Daron Payne, Jeffery Simmons and Dexter Lawrence would seem to give Quinnen Williams a clear road map toward a Jets extension, Chris Jones‘ Chiefs talks look more complex.

Jones mounted a threat to be labeled the NFL’s best defensive tackle last season. Given his 2022 performance, value to the Chiefs and Aaron Donald missing a chunk of his age-31 season due to injury, this can at least be debated for the first time in ages. Set to turn 29 in July, Jones is three years younger than the Rams’ all-time great. If nothing else, Jones has a clear claim to being the league’s best non-Donald inside pass rusher and has held that spot for a bit now. At $20MM per year, Jones is currently the NFL’s eighth-highest-paid defensive tackle.

Although Jones sailed to first-team All-Pro acclaim for the first time by matching his career high with 15.5 sacks during a season in which Donald missed five games, ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher notes the dominant Chiefs D-tackle may not be looking to move past the 10th-year Ram’s $31.7MM-per-year number. That figure remains the league’s most lucrative for a defender — by a wide margin. Jones is, however, aiming to top every other D-tackle deal. The notable question here: by how much?

Even after the above-referenced three young DTs’ extensions, Donald’s outlier contract — a straight raise the Rams authorized after a retirement threat — leads the pack by more than $8MM per year. Simmons did secure more fully guaranteed money than Donald, though he did so on a contract that ties him to the Titans for four additional years. Donald did not add any years to his contract but still received $46.5MM guaranteed at signing. Considering Jones’ importance to the Chiefs’ defense, he should be in line to push for a deal far north of Simmons’ $23.5MM-per-year pact.

Kansas City has made some payroll adjustments since extending Patrick Mahomes. The team did not offer Tyrann Mathieu an extension, letting his $14MM-per-year deal expire, and passed on making Tyreek Hill the league’s highest-paid wide receiver. It would seem Jones remains a priority, however. A second extension has been on the radar for months. Andy Reid confirmed (via Pro Football Talk’s Myles Simmons) at minicamp — one Jones did not attend, incurring a minor fine — Chiefs GM Brett Veach has been in discussions with Jones’ camp.

In 2020, the Chiefs locked down Mahomes and Travis Kelce on team-friendly extensions but paid top-market money for Jones, who is entering the final season of a four-year, $80MM deal. The sides finalized that contract just before the 2020 franchise tag deadline. Simmons, Payne, Lawrence, Leonard Williams and Javon Hargrave have since topped it. The Chiefs would have the option of franchise-tagging Jones for a second time, but that number would check in higher than the standard 2024 DT figure due to the 120% rule.

Since that 2020 agreement, Jones has ripped off three more Pro Bowl seasons and further established himself as the Chiefs’ most indispensable defender. He sacked Joe Burrow twice in the AFC championship game, helping the Chiefs hold off the Bengals despite Mahomes playing on a gimpy ankle. With Nick Bosa a candidate to top Donald’s AAV, it will be interesting to see if Jones waits on the 49ers finalizing that long-rumored agreement or sees if Williams can move the non-Donald D-tackle bar higher soon.

The Chiefs expect Jones at training camp, but a hold-in effort would not surprise. A resolution on this matter should be expected before Week 1, but this represents one of the league’s top 2023 contractual dominoes.

Chris Jones is joining a select group of players to avoid his team’s mandatory minicamp. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle is not at the defending Super Bowl champions’ workout Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The defensive tackle market has moved significantly since Jones signed his four-year, $80MM deal during the 2020 offseason. The former franchise tag recipient remains on the extension radar for the Chiefs, per Schefter, but he is staying away from the team for the time being. No guaranteed money remains on Jones’ contract. Skipping minicamp will cost Jones just less than $100K.

Aaron Donald leads all non-quarterbacks with a $31.7MM-per-year average, while D-tackles younger and less accomplished than Jones — Daron Payne, Dexter Lawrence and Jeffery Simmons — have agreed to terms on accords north of the eighth-year Chief’s $20MM-AAV pact. Serving as the Chiefs’ top pass rusher for most of his career, Jones has been linked to a third Chiefs contract this offseason. Ahead of his age-29 season, Kansas City’s D-line anchor will likely aim for a deal in the Donald range.

Three years ago, the Chiefs agreed to team-friendly deals with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and fit a top-market Jones extension into their offseason. The above-referenced accords, along with the Giants’ 2021 deal for Leonard Williams and recent 49ers agreement with Javon Hargrave, now eclipse Jones’ pact. Considering Jones’ current form and importance to the Chiefs, he certainly has a case to approach Donald’s terms or land a more traditional contract well north of the Simmons-Payne-Lawrence range.

The Chiefs’ single-season sack record holder, Jones earned his initial first-team All-Pro honor last season by matching his career high (15.5 sacks). He added two more in the playoffs to help the Chiefs to another title. Twice a second-team All-Pro as well, Jones has spearheaded a Chiefs defense that could not rely on Frank Clark for consistency. The Chiefs have since moved on from Clark, leaving 2022 first-rounders George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah and UFA addition Charles Omenihu in charge of edge production. Jones has masked the Chiefs’ issues on the edge for years, becoming one of this era’s best interior pass rushers.

The 2020 CBA has effectively curbed training camp holdouts, limiting contract-seeking players’ options. This has made the hold-in tactic increasingly popular. Absent a deal by the time the Chiefs report to training camp, Jones taking this route would not surprise. Withholding his services would damage a Chiefs team that has depended on him for most of his career.

A Jones extension would also help the Chiefs, who have him tied to a $28.3MM cap number in 2023. Kansas City is also potentially looking at a tricky Mahomes restructure, though the quarterback has been careful not to make a public demand for his unique deal to be redone. With Mahomes signed through 2031, the Jones matter looks to be the Chiefs’ most pressing contract issue.