The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to lose all of their professional games to a division rival (report).
The Kansas City Chiefs are prepping for their AFC Championship matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. For the first time under Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs will be the road team in the title game. While the Chiefs haven’t looked like their dominant selves for the majority of 2023, they have once again advanced to the conference’s championship game.
However, in the offseason, the Chiefs may be forced to part ways with several key players. One of those players will wind up with a division opponent, according to an NFL analyst.
The Chiefs are expected to lose one all-pro player to the Denver Broncos.
According to Kenneth Teape of NFLAnaysis.net, the Chiefs will lose a major member of their defense:
The 2024 offseason will be significant for the Denver Broncos. They have already shown their hand in the quarterback position, as the team will be moving on from Russell Wilson.
Wilson will eventually leave the team, most likely through release. That will put Denver in the market for a new signal caller, whether it is a rookie in the 2024 NFL Draft or a veteran signing in free agency. Payton has very precise characteristics in mind when hunting for a quarterback and will go to any length to fill the void.
While quarterback is the most pressing necessity, the Broncos have other needs as well. They could use an upgrade at several other positions on the roster, prompting Predominantly Orange’s Lou Scataglia to make a bold prediction for an offseason deal.
Scataglia predicts the Broncos will make a big impact in free agency, acquiring All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones from the Kansas City Chiefs. That would be a significant and much-needed upgrade for Denver in the trenches, as they currently rank 27th in points allowed and 29th in yards surrendered.
“Frankly, I believe Jones will price his way out of the [Chiefs]. And Jones is at a position in his career where he may choose to pursue money. He’s won two rings with the franchise and can’t do much more in the NFL. I believe many players are thinking about making as much money as possible, and the Broncos could surely use the help up front. Yes, Denver does not have a lot of cap room, but there are opportunities to create some,” Scataglia noted.Jones, one of the NFL’s most formidable defensive lineman, has made the Pro Bowl for five consecutive seasons. He has two All-Pro First Team nominations and three All-Pro Second Team selections. In 2022, he finished third in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year.
Will the Chiefs be forced to release Chris Jones?
Jones went on a contract holdout at the end of the 2023 offseason, which lasted until the 2023 regular season. Following the holdout, Jones and the Chiefs agreed on a one-year contract for $19.5 million in basic salary and up to $25 million in incentives.
According to Nate Taylor of The Athletic, Jones requested a contract worth $30 million per year, which the Chiefs did not offer him in his revised one-year contract. However, Jones is loving his time in Kansas City enough to consider returning in 2024.
This will be one of the Chiefs’ most crucial contract situations this offseason. If they are unable to reach an agreement, one opponent is apparently willing and able to provide him the contract he seeks.
