Nick Bosa and his new contract seemed to take top billing as Thursday night’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions wound down. Much of the discussion centered on the Chiefs’ wide receiver corp. and their abysmal game. Wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Richie James had multiple drops. A muffed catch by the combo contributed to a rare Patick Mahomes interceptio. It all led to a stunning Detroit Lion road victory at GEHA Field in Arrowhead Stadium. I learned a new metric, “expected points added among receivers.” Tyrek Hill led the league in this category last year.
Toney’s numbers on Thursday were so wretched that if I understood it correctly, for every three balls that Mahomes threw to him, the Lions would score a touchdown once. Bite on that for a while. It is a piece that was posted here on this website yesterday. As Jared Goff drove the Lions down the field for the game winning touchdown, the Chiefs still had a chance to make a defensive stop and win the game, defensive tackle Chris Jones’ presence was sorely missed.
New Contract for Nick Bosa
Nick Bosa, standout defensive end of the San Fransico 49ers signed a 5-year $135 million contract early last week, making him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history. Bosa has managed to participate in two practices during the week, and played in Sunday’s blowout victory over Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Steeler hype officially ceased with the 30-7 loss. During the hold-out of the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, General Manager John Lynch reportedly had five suitors for the defensive end.
Talks went nowhere, as Lynch was determined to have his player return to the 49er organization. Bosa’s contract includes a $78 million guaranteed at signing. His $27 million tops the previous high set by Pittsburgh’s TJ Watt. Last season Bosa had 15.5 sacks to go with 32 QB hits and a career high 83 pressures.
Chris Jones has put up gaudy production numbers the last three years as well. Last season Jones had 9 sacks, 30 QB hits and 41 pressures. As he enters his last year on his contract, Jones is one of the premier interior pass rushers in the league. While his production numbers are not as elite as Bosa’s, Jones’ monetary were not lessened with the Bosa signing.
The 49ers have literally no money invested in the quarterback position (Brock Purdy), the Kansas City Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes under a 10-year contract worth up to $503 million. The half billion-dollar deal is primarily backloaded, yet it still puts the Chiefs tight against the cap. And it seemingly has impacted the Chris Jones negotiations.
Chris Jones’ absence felt
Just 28 years old, Jones has totaled 33 sacks and 88 QB hits over the last four years. His absence on the field Thursday night made things easy for the Lions in their game winning drive. The Lions won 21-20, stunning the home field crowd. Jones has shown that he is worth the investment to keep coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense dominant.
Having impact players on the field matters as illustrated this past week by Bosa and Jones. Putting their tail between their legs, and admitting the error of their ways, the Kansas City Chiefs have since agreed with Chris Jones to a one-year contract, Jones will be on the field Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Signing the defensive tackle to a one-year contract is merely a band-aid to the problem. The Chiefs need Jones in the middle of their defense and should negotiate a long-term deal as soon as possible. The price of signing a star player of Jones’ magnitude will not lessen over time.
Barry Schustermann
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