$90 Million Chiefs Star Warned to Avoid Bears in Free Agency
The Chicago Bears have a ton of money to spend in free agency, but some of the biggest fish may be difficult to land due to the team’s history of being cellar dwellers.
Consider Chris Jones, the defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs, who is expected to enter the market in March and could significantly improve the Bears pass rush, which is currently having trouble. Jones persevered through the 2023 season and recently acknowledged that this might be his last season with the reigning champions.
However, on Wednesday, December 6, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine advised Jones to avoid Chicago; this is by no means an uncommon viewpoint in NFL media circle
As one of the best interior pass-rushers in the league, Chris Jones leads the free-agent Big Board. Not only does he rank among the elite players who feel ready to actually leave their team, but he also makes this list.
The Bears from Chicago would be competitive. Like the Chiefs, Matt Eberflus has a 4-3 base for his defense. They would have a stronger pass-rushing base with Jones added if they had traded for Montez Sweat.
It is reasonable to wonder, nevertheless, if Jones and Chicago’s timelines coincide. There is still uncertainty at quarterback for the Bears. and Eberflus is still up for debate. Soon after turning 30, Jones will start negotiating for a multi-year contract. He seems like a great fit for a team that will be competitive in 2024, but it’s unclear if the Bears will be that kind of team.
Jones is just the kind of unrestricted free agent Chicago needs.
With just 17 sacks overall through 13 weeks, the Bears are last in the NFL. Having produced just 20 sacks, they were the last in the category in 2022 as well.
Over his 7.5-year NFL career, Jones, a four-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro selection, has recorded 72.5 sacks from the defensive tackle position. According to Pro Football Reference, he tied a career-high 15.5 sacks in the previous season and has 7.5 in 11 games this season.
His overall player grade of 80.9, good enough to rank him 11th at the position out of 126 players who have played enough snaps to qualify this season, comes from his ability to both pressure opposing quarterbacks and defend against the run. This is according to Pro Football Focus.
The Bears are willing to pay a premium for a player with Jones’ unique skill set, as evidenced by their trade of their 2024 second-round pick to the Washington Commanders for Sweat and their subsequent decision to give him a four-year extension worth $98 million.
has a projected market value of $29 million per year going forward, according to Spotrac, and signed a four-year, $80 million deal with the Chiefs in 2020. Chicago has projected salary cap space of $63.5 million in 2024, so they can afford to sign a player to a contract in that range.
The key unanswered question is whether a team such as the Bears can persuade a player of Jones’ caliber that he can win a championship in Chicago in addition to making money by moving there. The response won’t be delayed too much.
