For the better-part of a half decade, Chandler Jones has been one of the few constants for the Arizona Cardinals. Despite a losing record with the club with only one playoff berth (2021), Jones has been a bright spot for an otherwise forgettable era of Cardinal football. His arrival in the desert was meant to finalize the missing piece of a championship team, but unfortunately it was mostly Jones who was largely left representing true greatness on the field.
Now turning 32 at the end of the month, approaching free agency for the first time since 2017, it’s fair to wonder if the franchise leader in sacks has actually played his last game for the Big Red. Jones is coming off a solid, not special, 2021 campaign that saw him accumulate nearly half of his season total in sacks (10.5) during a Week 1 performance at Tennessee. While still an obvious threat to get after the opposing quarterback, Jones has noticeably slowed down as both a run defender and overall player in space.
Yet with a Spotrac projected free agent contract of three years and just over $40 million, it’s clear that this still prolific sack artist will have more than enough suitors come March.
Which begs the question: Should the Arizona Cardinals plan to be one of them?
The situation remains a dicey one for Cardinal general manager Steve Keim, who is once again in hot water following the team’s disastrous finish to the 2021 season. This upcoming year could likely be Keim’s last with the club unless he and coach Kliff Kingsbury are able to show significant progress in the form of a lengthly playoff run. Having Jones as a member of next year’s club would obviously be in their best interest, but the financial commitments needed make it a tricky situation.
Keim could obviously opt to franchise tag Jones, in which case he would be on the hook for close to $20 million for one year of service. It’s also worth noting that at the writing of this article, according to the folks at Over the Cap, the Cardinals currently possess just under $1 million in available cap space. While it is likely that the front office will make some long-overdue cuts and restructures in an effort to secure some breathing room, tagging Jones at that amount would likely dry up most of the remaining funds needed to reinforce the team in other areas.
Which is why investing in Jones for multiple seasons appears to be the better idea, given the option to defer large amounts of money to future years. That’s easier said than done, however, as Keim would be leaving himself vulnerable to the threat of other teams should Jones be let out into the wild of free agency come March 16. It would not benefit Jones in the slightest, especially after he was spurned by the team last offseason, to agree to any extension prior to the start of free agency.
Given the robust cap space of so many around the NFL, it’s fair to wonder if the Cardinals could even compete with the deep pockets of a Miami or Jacksonville. The Jaguars, by the way, now currently employee Jones’ former defensive line coach in Brenston Buckner in the same role.
If Jones does depart, the Cardinals will be left in a vulnerable position next season. While Markus Golden is still a quality in-house option, he does not possess the same explosiveness or length to that of Jones. Perhaps the team could convince former first-round pick Haason Reddick to return after a quality year spent in Carolina, although the former Temple product may still be sour on his time with the Cardinals. There is also the upcoming NFL Draft, which boasts a plethora of quality edge rushing options to choose from. The team could also tinker around the idea of moving the uber-talented Isaiah Simmons to edge rusher, similar to what the Dallas Cowboys did with Rookie of the Year standout Micah Parsons.
Each of those options comes with a certain amount of risk and uncertainty for Keim, who is looking for anything but that. Jones may be a flawed player at this point, but he is undoubtedly the best “pass rushing” option this Cardinal team has entering next season. Which is why it’s never as easy as simply moving on from a franchise great, no matter the circumstances.
