5 bold predictions for Kansas City Chiefs in 2020

3. Chiefs will find a way to keep Chris Jones

There’s not a lot of optimism around the Chiefs’ efforts to lock Jones down to a long-term contract at the moment. He clearly wants to be paid as the elite defensive tackle that he is. The Chiefs are so close to the salary cap that it’s nearly impossible for them to compensate him in that manner.

Remember though, the NFL doesn’t have a hard salary cap. Teams are always able to maneuever their way to more space when they really need it. This is clearly an instance where the Chiefs need to engage in those sort of salary cap gymnastics.

To put it bluntly, Jones is irreplaceable. He is the best player in the team’s front seven by a fairly significant margin. His ability to collapse the pocket from the inside is a major plus for his defense.

The idea of trading him for a massive cache of draft picks is tempting, but it would be really difficult for the Chiefs to find an instant impact defender like Jones in this year’s draft. He’s a special player that can be a difference maker in high-leverage games. The Chiefs can’t afford to let him get away and they’ll find a way to keep him at the 11th hour.