The Kansas City Chiefs continue to work toward a long-term extension for star DT Chris Jones.

Everything up to this point has been sunshine and rainbows in regards to negotiations, but the latest messaging from an NFL insider should be of major concern to the Chiefs Kingdom. According to NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo, Jones could stay in the AFC West if the Chiefs are unable to lock him down. He revealed this on a recent episode of “The NFL Report.”

The #chiefs are working to bring back Chris Jones. Can they do it? Or does he land elsewhere in the AFC WEST???? Breaking it down with @mikegarafolo on #TheNFLReport
Watch the full show now!https://t.co/SS2JFdI4cp pic.twitter.com/uykv3EOvk8

— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) March 5, 2024

“Listen, he may stay in the AFC West, James (Palmer),” Garafolo said. “Multiple teams in the AFC West need help on defensive line. I’m just saying, the place that he played his last game with the Chiefs, maybe he’ll play his first game with somebody else. I don’t know. I’m just saying. I’m just trying to find a way to allude that it’s not the Raiders that I’m talking about.”

After applying the franchise tag on CB L’Jarius Sneed, the Chiefs have no way of preventing Jones from hitting the open market in free agency. The legal tampering window opens on March 11, and Jones could theoretically begin negotiating a deal with an AFC West rival at that time, including the Las Vegas Raiders as Garafolo suggests.

This would be quite the heel turn for Jones, who made an impassioned speech during the team’s Super Bowl LVIII rally, insisting that he would remain in Kansas City for the next three years. All-in-all, this information feels a bit like a negotiating ploy to try to get more out of the Chiefs, who appear set on signing Jones to a deal with a $27-28 million APY range, much like the deal that A to Z Sports previously projected.