Broncos pass rusher recruiting former Chiefs teammate to the Mile High?

Amidst a halt in his contract negotiations with the Kansas City Chiefs, 4X All-Pro DT Chris Jones has been reportedly "far apart" with the Chiefs' front office on a long-term extension and seems to be frustrated with the lack of progress being made in the talks. The Chiefs star even took to social media on Thursday, August 3rd posting lyrics to a song that merely suggests an uncertain future with his current organization.

While it remains possible both the Chiefs and Jones can still arrive at a common ground during contract negotiations, the latest Denver Broncos free agent addition and former teammate of Jones, Frank Clark, doesn't seem to care.

Truth be told, it is uncertain whether or not Clark was joking with the fans or truly considering recruiting his former Chiefs teammate to Denver. Regardless, it is very beneficial having a well-respected vet on the team that is capable of making a few phone calls to lure talent to his new home in the Mile High because of the relationships he has built around the league.

In terms of the contract situation, the Broncos are not in a favorable position to take on Jones' contract nor give him the extension he desires considering the team currently obtains roughly $8.9M in cap space, according to Over The Cap. Even if the Broncos worked out some restructures of their own players, a trade for Chris Jones would immediately put their cap in the negatives and would not be a very ideal situation heading into the regular season. It has been said repeatedly in the media that the Broncos will closely monitor any roster cuts following training camp in efforts to add more depth to their roster therefore, adding Jones would make it more difficult to add in other areas that are perhaps lacking more depth. However, for the fans out there pushing the Chris Jones to Denver agenda, it is very fair input that Denver's weakest area on the team consists of the interior defensive line.

Jones, 29, is coming off a Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro season starting all 17 games while tying his career-high 15.5 sacks along with 46 pressures and 17 tackles for loss. Jones is an undisputed top-three defensive tackle in the NFL and it is really undebatable. His repertoire of pass-rush moves in the interior combined with his elite run-stopping ability makes him one of the most complete defensive linemen we have witnessed in quite some time meaning he deserves every last penny he wishes for. If Denver were to add him to their defensive line, the unit would quickly jump from the weakest on the team to the strongest.

While the scenario would be greatly advantageous to Denver's quest to win a Super Bowl, a trade remains very unlikely for Chris Jones to the Broncos considering the money and Kansas City's unrealistic willingness to trade one of their best players to a division rival. Well, technically not a division rival according to OLB Frank Clark who believes otherwise. Jones will become a free agent in the offseason of 2024 and could potentially become a more realistic target for Denver at that point. But for now, the Broncos will have to move forward in their own talent with DJ Jones expected to have a big season in 2023.