Any teams that planned on poaching Chris Jones from the Kansas City Chiefs better start looking at alternative options.

According to league sources, there is “growing optimism” that the Chiefs will get a deal done with Jones before the start of free agency, via Nate Taylor and Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

Another NFL source said that Jones “should get a massive deal from the Chiefs.”

Jones was slated to be one of the top free agents available in a couple of weeks, but it does not look like Kansas City is going to let him get that far.

This does not come as much of a surprise, as Jones stated after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl that he planned on remaining in Kansas City, and the Chiefs seemed intent on keeping him.

The news also comes after a report surfaced on Wednesday that Kansas City is planning on placing a franchise tag on cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and then attempting to trade him.

Clearly, the Chiefs are expecting to hand Jones a significant contract and know they won’t be able to afford to keep both Jones and Sneed, hence the reason they plan on trading the latter player.

Jones is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he played 16 games and registered 30 tackles and 10.5 sacks en route to his fifth straight Pro Bowl nod and second consecutive First-Team All-Pro selection.

The 29-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Mississippi State, was selected by Kansas City in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

He has posted two seasons where he racked up 15.5 sacks, most recently doing so in 2022. Most importantly, the superstar defensive lineman has helped lead the Chiefs to three Super Bowl championships.

It looks like Chris Jones will be back to assist Kansas City in its quest for a three-peat next season.

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