The Financial Terms Mean Brett Veach Deserves Some Serious Credit

During Chris Jones’ holdout, there was plenty of internet ire to go around. While some criticized the defensive tackle for failing to honor his contract, others took aim at Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach. As the man handling the negotiations, was he being too tough and keeping a star player sidelined over a few metaphorical pennies?

But now, the dust has settled. Jones has agreed to a new deal and, perhaps more importantly for the Chiefs, it seems like Veach did some rather strong work at the bargaining table.

Just how strong? Let’s look at the financial terms of the contract to explain.

Breaking Down Chris Jones’ New Contract

When news broke that Jones had agreed to a new contract and was returning to the Chiefs, that was all most football fans needed to hear. And when you combine that with the fact that the tackle only reworked the remaining year on his contract rather than signing a true extension, it’s understandable why there wasn’t much time spent on the specifics of the pact.

Thankfully for curious fans, though, Albert Breer provided the details:

On NFL.com, Kevin Patra gave a more in-depth breakdown. He noted that Jones’ base salary did not change, but the incentives were adjusted. And, perhaps most crucially for Kansas City, there isn’t a stipulation in the deal preventing the club from using a franchise tag on their star tackle during the 2024 offseason.

The Incentives Tilt Things in the Chiefs’ Favor

When you read reports that suggest Jones could make more money during the 2023 season, it’s easy to think that Veach watched his team struggle in Week 1, rushed back to the bargaining table and handed over a blank check. In reality, though, the numbers and structure of the contract suggest KC got a good deal.

As mentioned above, Jones’ raw salary did not change. The extra money comes in the form of incentives, and those are structured favorably—especially when you consider the context of the offseason.

The two playing-time-related incentives, which Jones is essentially guaranteed to get barring an injury, will cancel out the approximately $2 million in fines that the tackle accrued from missing training camp. So while that money does have to count against the salary cap, it’s not like the Chiefs organization really caved in; it’s essentially letting Jones keep his own money.

Moving down the list, we come to the sack-based incentives. John Dixon of Arrowhead Pride noted that the $1.25 million payout for 10 sacks was already in Jones’ contract, meaning that only the $500,000 for taking down the quarterback 15 times was a new addition. Not only is that decent value for money—15 sacks is quite the accomplishment—there’s no guarantee that the Chiefs will have to pay out. During his previous seven professional seasons, the tackle has only achieved double-digit sacks on two occasions.

Lastly, we have the two joint incentives, which require Jones and the Chiefs to achieve high levels of success to pay out. Beyond the sheer level of difficulty there—everything can go right for Jones, and he could still lose out on the Defensive Player of the Year title or fail to lift the Lombardi Trophy—the balance between financial risk and on-field reward is tilted in the club’s favor.

Let’s assume that everything goes perfectly for the rest of the season, and Jones is named a first-team All-Pro and the DPOY while the Chiefs go on to win the Super Bowl. In that case—forking over an extra $3 million will be well worth the cost. For context, that sum would be less than Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s cap hit for the 2023 campaign. It’s comparative peanuts, especially when compared to the emotional impact of back-to-back titles.

That all combines to be a rather team-friendly situation. Jones will probably take home a few extra million—most of which balances out his fines—and, at an absolute maximum, will add approximately $6.75 million to his compensation. The Chiefs also retain the ability to franchise tag their defensive cornerstone, which can help avoid disaster next summer.

It’s also worth considering how much credit Jones deserves here, if any. While he started the whole saga by holding out, he did eventually put pen to paper with minimal pain. The new deal doesn’t create a financial headache for this season, and there’s also something to be said for backing yourself to achieve the incentives and earning a major payday next summer. At the same time, though, a less charitable reading could suggest that the tackle knew he miscalculated and simply took an acceptable deal to get back on the field.

From an organizational perspective, though, the credit goes to the general manager.

When you consider that Veach could have panicked, especially after a Week 1 loss, and handed Jones the keys to a metaphorical Brinks truck, and there’s even more reason to give the general manager his flowers.

Now, he’ll be hoping the deal pays off for the Chiefs.