Where does Chris Jones' contract rank among all defensive tackles?

The Kansas City Chiefs didn't pause work just because it was the weekend. The clock was ticking, as the NFL free agency negotiation window officially opens on Monday, March 11. With that, unrestricted free agents were allowed to speak with interested teams about a potential contract. For the Chiefs, that meant star defensive tackle Chris Jones had the chance to negotiate with interested teams. That was something the Chiefs and their fanbases wanted to avoid.

On late Saturday night, Jones teased that a deal was getting done, as evidenced by his tweet of "pencil to paper" emojis. Sure enough, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport broke the news that Jones and the Chiefs had agreed to terms to a lucrative five-year contract extension with $95 million of the deal fully guaranteed.

On early Monday morning, Rapoport followed up with the full details of the contract. The total value of Jones' contract is $158.75 million, with $101 million guaranteed. Additionally, Jones gets a $30 million signing bonus. Jones' annual salary officially measures at $31.75 million per year.

That is a lot of money, but the Chiefs could not afford to let Jones walk and join another team, especially if they wanted to go for the Super Bowl three-peat. So where does Jones' contract rank among all defensive tackles.

Where does Chris Jones' contract rank among all defensive tackles?

In terms of annual salary, Jones is expected to make around $32 million per year on his new deal, per Rapoport. With that, it will officially be the most a defensive tackle has been paid on an annual basis. The record was previously held by Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams, who earned $31.67 million a year.

Here are the top five defensive tackle contracts in terms of annual salary, per Spotrac:

1. Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs: $31.75 million
2. Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams: $31.67 million
3. Christian Wilkins, Las Vegas Raiders: $27.5 million
4. Justin Madubuike, Baltimore Ravens: $24.5 million
5. Quinnen Williams, New York Jets: $24 million

Now, let's look at where Jones ranks among all defensive tackles in terms of total value of their respective contracts. Spoiler alert, Jones is first, and by a lengthy margin.

1. Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs: $158.75 million
2. Christian Wilkins, Las Vegas Raiders: $110 million
3. Justin Madubuike, Baltimore Ravens: $98 million
4. Quinnen Williams, New York Jets: $96 million
5. Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams: $95 million

Jones easily tops the defensive tackle market in terms of total contract value. The second-highest is Christian Wilkins, and he got that shortly after the free agency negotiating window opened on Monday afternoon. Wilkins earned a four-year, $110 million contract from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Justin Madubuike's stay at the top of the list lasted a matter of days. This past Friday, the Baltimore Ravens gave Madubuike $98 million over four years.

Even though Aaron Donald has the second-highest annual salary among defensive tackles, he ranks fifth in terms of total value, earning $95 million over three years.