Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones is slated to hit free agency next month, and many are expecting him to leave the Chiefs due to his hefty price tag.

However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter thinks there is a possibility Jones stays.

During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Schefter said there is a chance that Jones takes a hometown discount to remain in Kansas City.

“Chris Jones, by the way, I know he’ll want to get paid of course,” Schefter said. “But there’s certainly a bond there. You can see the way that he and Andy Reid were acting after the game. I don’t think he’s going to want to leave unless there’s some huge difference in offers between Kansas City and somewhere else. And the Chiefs value him, they want him back. To me, yeah they’re going to run it back with a lot of this team intact.”

The Chiefs actually do have some cap room, with Spotrac projecting them to have $22.6 million in space heading into the offseason.

However, Kansas City has a history of not breaking the bank for star players, which was why it traded wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins two years ago.

Plus, Jones held out of Week 1 this season due to a contract dispute with the Chiefs. The two sides ultimately agreed to a one-year deal, but it seemed pretty clear that there was a gap between Jones and Kansas City’s front office.

Will the two parties somehow close that gulf this spring?

Jones will be one of the top free agents on the market, and there will certainly be teams who are willing to empty their wallet to add him to their defense.

The 29-year-old has made five straight Pro Bowl appearances while also notching First-Team All-Pro honors two years in a row.

We’ll see if the Chiefs can somehow get a deal done to retain Chris Jones in the coming weeks.

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