The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t looked like the dominant team they have in past seasons, but Patrick Mahomes and company made it into the playoffs where they will host a home game against the Miami Dolphins Sunday night.
As any NFL fan knows, once a team makes it in, anything can happen, but there’s a reality the Chiefs could also face an early exit from the playoffs to the Dolphins. Although Miami has been riddled with injuries, they still have key pieces on both sides of the ball and it should be a competitive matchup. Chris Jones has been one of the staples of the team for several years — and has produced in a major way again this season — leading to the team’s defensive success.
While the Chiefs are typically known for their offensive prowess, this year’s defense anchored by veteran DT Chris Jones, an elite secondary and other key playmakers have carried the team for much of the year.
Chris Jones is a main part of the pass rush, entering Sunday’s matchup with 30 tackles and 10.5 sacks. The elite defensive tackle has spent his entire career in Kansas CIty, since getting drafted out of Mississippi State in 2016 in the second round.
Jones has been the face of the Chiefs defense for a long time and has produced nearly every season he’s been with the organization. This marks the third year in his career he surpasses the 10-sack mark, and he had an eye-popping 15.5 sacks last season and in 2018. The Kansas City Chiefs big man hasn’t recorded less than 6.5 sacks in any season other than his rookie campaign in 2016, where he finished the year with 2.5.
Jones is widely considered to be one of the top defensive tackles in the league —and with his current contract expiring after the 2023 season — his future remains uncertain.
Chris Jones Knows Saturday Could Be His Last Game In Arrowhead Stadium With Kansas City Chiefs Future Uncertain
In an interview with KSHB news in Kansas City, Jones said he is trying not to think about the upcoming offseason quite yet after the Kansas City Chiefs’ last offseason was dominated by uncertainty swirling around the All-Pro defensive tackle’s contract status, including a holdout that lasted into the regular season.
“ I try not to think about it,” Chris Jones said last Wednesday as the Chiefs prepared to face the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night in the Super Wild Card Round. “It could be my last game in Arrowhead. Who knows? But most importantly, we’ve got a game to play. We’re trying to make a deep run in these playoffs. If it is my last game, we’ve got to make it worthwhile.”
The Chiefs have won two of the last four Super Bowls and own three AFC titles in that span.
Jones has been a key piece to Kansas City’s championship puzzle, but his contract voids after the 2023 season and the team has a decision to make after failing to reach a long-term extension last summer.
Four years ago, the Chiefs used the franchise tag to keep Jones in the fold, but that might be prohibitively expensive in 2024, incurring a fully guaranteed salary-cap hit north of $32 million next season.
Jones and Kansas City worked out a four-year deal worth around $80 million in 2020 during that contract impasse, the final year of which was reworked in early September after he sat out a season-opening loss to Detroit.
Now, the Chiefs and their 2016 second-round pick, who ranks fifth in franchise history with 75 1/2 career sacks, face the looming specter of free agency once again.
PFF ranks Chris Jones as their top free agent entering the 2024 offseason.
“It’s rare for a player of Jones’ caliber to reach unrestricted free agency, and Kansas City did not give up the right to franchise tag him for a second time when the two sides agreed to a reworked contract this past offseason,” PFF wrote.
“A tag for Jones would land north of $33 million, which perhaps helps him test the open market for the first time in his career. Jones is not only one of the best interior pass-rushers in the game right now; he’s one of the best ever. He is also capable of lining up outside of tackles as a five-technique, bending around the edge and getting home.“
PFF projects the Kansas City Chiefs star could earn a contract worth $120 million for four years, with $80 million guaranteed.
There’s a real possibility Sunday could the final game in Arrowhead Stadium for Chris Jones
