Chiefs: CJ, D-Hop, and Frank Clark

Josh Kingsley

The state of the CHIEFS roster is exactly the same as my last take. Such is life in the NFL offseason. However, the end is in sight. It is officially 98 days from season kickoff. Life is great and only getting better!!

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#98, Tershawn Wharton, FOX 4

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Veach is diligently working on roster finalization, which at this point is tweaks, negotiations and communication with HC Andy Reid and staff. All that and a potential blockbuster Hopkins signing. Here is where I see things for the potential major moves.

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Chris Jones Extension

All the commentary remains intact. Jones wants to be a CHIEFS player for life. At least he says so. Veach has every intention of an extension. At least this is the goal: Chris Jones becoming the second highest paid DT, which is at present $24M+ a year (Aaron Donald signed a 3 year, $95 M extension with the Rams, plus, if AD is on the Rams roster on the 5th day of the league’s new year in 2024 he’s guaranteed to make $30M next year).

DL Nick Bosa, of the 49ers, has an extension coming due at some point, soon as well. Every passing day makes the CJ situation feel more and more like the Tyreek Hill situation. I’m basing this on nothing but a gut feeling born from familiarity. Per the NFL important dates there is not a specific deadline, but that also means nothing is preventing the extension, from a rule standpoint. This means it’s terms and conditions… hence my concern. I have no reason to expect Jones’ stance any less firm that Hill’s, regarding perceived value. Either Jones and Veach have a handshake to extend at a specific time, or they are not aligned.

I cannot picture a world where the handshake on future agreement is a thing. That imposes a theoretical date around camp, preseason or regular season start to finalize this. My eyes are certainly peeled. I am optimistic about the extension, but it is cautious optimism.

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Deandre Hopkins Signing

As mentioned in a previous piece, this cannot happen without the Jones extension or… a massive glut of cuts. The lack of Jones extension is also linked to a likely lack of Hopkins signing. At least that’s my logic. No issues if I am wrong about this. Word in the CHIEFS circles is there is strong mutual interest. Word on the street, such as this CBS Sports article that dropped as I wrote this piece, says many conflicting things. The key takeaways are this:

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• NFL teams are conflicted regarding his status and remaining production.
• Thus, no acceptable contracts have been offered.
• Hopkin’s probability of choosing a contender vs making money, increase daily.

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The other dead horse to be is the should. As in, should KC sign him. Maaaaaaaaaaany fans on social media say 100% yes. Fortunately for us all, Veach is in control and we trust he gets this correct. Nick Wright talked about opportunity cost on First Things First on Tuesday. He mentioned signing Hopkins as a lost season of development for our young WRs. Meaning Hopkins presence and target share reduces the opportunities for Moore to progress, Rice to integrate, and Toney to accelerate.

Nick isn’t wrong about that and Veach just may agree.

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Veteran Pass Rusher AKA Frank Clark

Veach overhauled the Edge in March by cutting Clark and signing Omenihu. The past two seasons Veach added a veteran Edge late in the game. In 2021 it was Melvin Ingram and 2022 Carlos Dunlap. Both those guys are options, but also enter a line mate in both seasons: Frank Clark. Clark’s release counts for virtually all the CHIEFS $7.6M in dead money.

A Clark reunion simply makes too much sense. He was mostly a non-factor last season, but he wasn’t a blatant liability. The CHIEFS put his value below the $13.3M cap hit, which is fair. How much lower is unclear, but it was enough to eat $7.6M in dead space. On the other hand, Clark was 100% in his rights, and probably correct, to dig heels on his number to test the market. The market sides with Veach –> which is correct. Unlike Jones this deal has no time target. Except maybe a date Frank wants to come back to work.

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Conclusions and Predictions

I think Veach is mostly done, and that’s totally fine. My confidence is sky high in this roster entering the season and getting 13+ regular season wins. Unfortunately, that means I do not expect this Chris Jones deal completed by season start, and do not see Hopkins in red and gold. However, I do expect the shark back in the pond.

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Josh Kingsley — ArrowheadOne and Arrowhead Kingdom

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