Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones will be one of the top players available on the free-agent market next month, and the Cleveland Browns may be interested.
During a question and answer session, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com fielded a query about whether or not the Browns could potentially pursue Jones this offseason.
While Cabot acknowledged that financial constraints may make it difficult for Cleveland to actually sign a player of Jones’ caliber, she does think he would be a great fit.
” Jones, the superstar defensive tackle from the Chiefs, would certainly be a blockbuster acquisition, but I doubt the Browns would want to pay his projected $28 million a year salary, as estimated by Spotrac,” Cabot wrote. “I’m not sure they’d want to break the bank on Jones. But as I mentioned above, I do think the Browns need another premier rusher, and Jones would certainly fit the bill.”
According to Spotrac, Cleveland is currently $20.6 million over the salary cap entering the offseason, so signing Jones—or any star player, for that matter—may prove to be an arduous task.
Of course, the Browns can always move some money around by releasing players or restructuring contracts, but even then, it would surely be extraordinarily laborious for them to land Jones.
Jones played in 16 games this season, registering 30 tackles, 10.5 sacks and four passes defended en route to his fifth straight Pro Bowl appearance and his second consecutive First-Team All-Pro selection.
The 29-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Mississippi State, was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
He has racked up 15.5 sacks twice in his eight-year career.
The Browns went 11-6 and lost to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs this season.
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