The Baltimore Ravens signed Justin Madubuike to a massive four-year, $98 million deal that will directly impact the fate of star free agent defensive tackle Chris Jones. Madubuike was supposed to hit the open market, but the Ravens used the franchise tag to keep him around for an additional season. After entering the league as a third-round pick, the Texas A&M product earned a full-time starting job by Year 2 and steadily improved annually. Following his 13-sack season, the Ravens made sure to prioritize him despite having several high-level free agents.
Even with the franchise tag costing him some leverage, Madubuike still managed to secure a high-paying deal that will reset the market. According to Spotrac, Madubike should have received a four-year, $81.2 million deal based on the going market rate for players of his caliber. The defensive lineman exceeded this deal, which means that free agent defensive tackle Chris Jones is going to break the bank when unrestricted free agency officially begins.
The Justin Madubuike Contract Is Good News For Free Agent Chris Jones, Bad News For Chiefs
Even though he is older than Justin Madubuike, Chris Jones will get more money as a free agent than the one-time Pro Bowler. A three-time Super Bowl champion, two-time First-Team All-Pro, and five-time Pro Bowler, Jones has established himself as one of the best all-around defensive linemen in football. Even though he’s entering his age-30 season, the former second-round pick is showing no signs of slowing down.
Jones played like a man possessed during the playoffs, routinely collapsing the pocket and directly leading victories over the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. Every team in the league would love to sign a free agent as good as Chris Jones, and the Chiefs will have a difficult time matching his market rate.
As of this posting, Kansas City only has $7.48 million in cap space after using the franchise tag on cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. While they can clear $19.8 million by trading Sneed, they’ll need to do that before Chris Jones signs as a free agent, which puts a tight timeline on their negotiating window. Even if they can deal Sneed in time, they’ll still need to find a way to re-sign Jones, add a free agent wide receiver, and sign a cornerback to replace Sneed.
This is all one long way of saying that Justin Madubuike’s massive deal could lead to Chris Jones leaving as a free agent. The Chiefs might not have the financial resources to retain their homegrown All-Pro, but these five teams should be able to make the money work.
Possible Team Fits
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are about to enter their Super Bowl window. With C.J. Stroud playing at a high level on a rookie contract, Houston can throw money at a high-priced free agent like Chris Jones. While he didn’t receive the same type of attention as Stroud, Will Anderson also had a strong rookie season, and pairing him with an All-Pro talent in Jones should keep defensive coordinators up at night.
Cincinnati Bengals
The 2024 season is Cincinnati’s last best chance to win a Super Bowl. While they’ll always be contenders as long as Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are healthy, this is the last year where the salary cap won’t be an active detriment to their roster. Burrow’s cap hit is set to explode, Chase is due for an extension, and the Bengals probably won’t be able to re-sign Tee Higgins. With this in mind, Cincinnati might as well go all-in on 2024 and use their $50.2 million in cap space to sign Chris Jones as a free agent.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders went 5-4 under head coach Antonio Pierce despite having Aidan O’Connell as their starting quarterback. With Pierce earning the full-time job and a (presumed) upgrade at quarterback, this team could compete for a Wild Card spot in 2024. Maxx Crosby is one of the best pass rushers in the game, but he doesn’t have an adequate pass rushing partner. Chris Jones is perfect for this role, and the Raiders have more than enough money to sign the impending free agent.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears entered the 2023 season knowing they needed to improve their pass rush. Adding Montez Sweat at the trade deadline was a good first step, but now they need to continue their work by signing Chris Jones as a free agent. Caleb Williams will elevate the offense, and his presence combined with an improved defense could lead to a postseason appearance in the upcoming season.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars pass rush is entirely comprised of Josh Allen. Despite the veteran’s 17.5 sacks, Jacksonville still found a way to finish dead last in the metric. Trevor Lawrence is good, but he has yet to prove that he’s a player capable of carrying a flawed roster. This team needs a better defense if they want to compete, and signing Chris Jones as a free agent is the fastest way to get after the quarterback.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
