(AP) — KANSAS CITY, MO According to a source familiar with the negotiations, Chris Jones, an All-Pro defensive tackle, and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs have reached an agreement on the terms of a five-year contract that includes a $95 million guarantee and keeps Jones off the upcoming free-agent market. This information was provided late on Saturday to The Associated Press.

The individual spoke with the AP under the condition of anonymity because the specifics of the contract were still being worked out. However, the guaranteed money is anticipated to be distributed over the first three years, with the last two years being unguaranteed.

Jones, who turns 30 in July, will be among the highest-paid defensive players in NFL history, just surpassing San Francisco’s $34 million average yearly compensation Nick Bosa, the pass rusher. The contract is greater than that of Rams defensive end Aaron Donald, whose $31.6 million average has long served as the standard for defensive player compensation.

In a post on X, the former Twitter platform, Jones’ representatives, Michael and Jason Katz, congratulated the “highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history.”

Shortly after, Jones tweeted, “KC…five more years of awesomeness! three times.

Jones made it apparent right away that he was keen to pursue a three-peat after the Chiefs defeated the 49ers in overtime during last month’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas, enabling them to raise their second consecutive and third in five years Lombardi trophies. However, he had to first come to an arrangement to stay in Kansas City, which had been challenging for the previous two off-seasons.

In fact, Jones and the Chiefs were at such a standstill going into the last year of his prior deal, that he missing Week 1 of the regular season and the entire offseason program, which included a required minicamp and training camp. Before accepting a one-year contract with generous incentives that allowed him to return to the field this past season, Jones accrued fines totaling close to $4 million.

In response, Jones started all the remaining games, including the meaningless regular-season finale against the Chargers, in which he recorded the last sack required to finish with 10 1/2 total yards and earn the $1.25 million incentive stipulated in his contract.

One of the coldest games of the season saw Jones record another half-sack in a wild-card victory over Miami NFL history, then enabled Kansas City to advance back to the Super Bowl by defeating Buffalo and Baltimore on the road. The Chiefs trailed early in that game but rallied to force overtime and win it on a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman.

The Chiefs have made a concerted effort to retain the majority of the second-best defense in the league for the upcoming campaign.

The Chiefs have the opportunity to retain one of the top cover cornerbacks who is anticipated to reach free agency on a $19.8 million contract next season, thanks to their earlier use of the franchise tag on L’Jarius Sneed. In addition, the Chiefs could sell him or sign him to a long-term contract, which would bring them some draft capital in addition to relief from the salary cap.

The Chiefs signed linebacker Drue Tranquill, a pending free agent, to a $19 million, three-year contract that includes a $4.5 million signing bonus and $12.5 million guaranteed, not long after tagging Sneed. Despite joining Kansas City somewhat late in free agency last year, Tranquill turned out to be one of the defense coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unsung heroes. He signed a one-year contract.

But there’s nothing unsaid about Jones.

Since Kansas City selected the intimidating defensive tackle in the second round of the 2016 draft out of Mississippi State, he has been a game-changer. After making his debut in the sixth game of his rookie campaign, Jones moved into the starting lineup. In 2018, he racked up 15 1/2 sacks and was named to the second team of the NFL Pro Bowl of five consecutive Pro Bowls in the subsequent season.

This past season, he was selected as a first-team All-Pro for the second consecutive year. And even though it’s unclear if that increased his asking price, the Chiefs most likely prioritized keeping him in Kansas City with the opening of free agency on Wednesday.