Could the Patriots have paid Chandler Jones? Will the Arizona Cardinals?

The biggest off season acquisition in 2016 will be Chandler Jones.  No matter the impact of the rookie class or other free agents, the Arizona Cardinals need Chandler Jones to be a dominant force from the edge.

The line of thinking of how a nine sack a year player going into only his fifth year at only 26 was the New England Patriots had too many mouths to feed in 2017 and beyond, so they may as well get something for Chandler Jones before he leaves as a free agent.

It made sense, the names on the Patriots to be free agent list were lengthy and distinguished, and even though Jones was one of the better players, he would be a large chunk of money as a pass rusher, especially with where the market is headed.

Per OverTheCap, the Patriots have the most cap space in 2017. Odds of retaining players are higher than you would think.

— Rich Hill (@PP_Rich_Hill) June 23, 2016

Then this tweet appeared, and it made me think back to a conversation I had with a couple of Patriots fans before, here was what they had to say.

"He's really inconsistent. Definitely above average for the most part but sometimes he won't make an impact for a while. Not a consistent pressure guy but usually converts when he does He's a good player just won't be worth what he gets once he hits open market."

What will Jones get on the open market?  Probably $15 million a year, but what about him and the Arizona Cardinals?  Is there a reason he has not been extended yet or conversations have not started?  Is it simply Arizona letting Jones set his market then making an offer?  Are they just going to franchise him for 2017 and not worry about his cost until 2018?

The fact that New England could have the money to pay Jones and chose not to speaks much more to me than New England just choosing not to pay Jones over the likes of Jamie Collins and Jabaal Sheard.

Is that part of the reason there has been no chatter about an extension in Arizona? Is this a one to two year type deal then get out?

All of a sudden I am extremely interested to see how this unfolds and not just on the field, where I expect Jones to be an impact player.