The Kansas City Chiefs and All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones agreed to a new contract, the team announced Monday. Here’s what you need to know:
- The deal is for one-year.
- Before the new deal, Jones ranked as the ninth highest-paid defensive tackle in the league, averaging $20 million per year, via Over The Cap. He was set to be a free agent after the 2024 season.
- Jones, 29, sat out all of the Chiefs’ offseason workouts (voluntary and mandatory) up to this point and did not play in Kansas City’s season-opening loss to the Lions.
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Backstory
The defensive tackle is coming off the best season of his seven-year career in 2022 with 15 1/2 sacks and 44 total tackles. He earned his first first-team All-Pro and fourth Pro Bowl distinction. Jones, the team’s second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, has 65 sacks in his 107 regular-season games along with two Super Bowl rings with Kansas City.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
How Jones stacks up
This probably isn’t much of a surprise, but Jones finished last season as the premier pass rusher at defensive tackle. Here’s a look at how his 2022 season compared to other notable defensive tackles:
(Overall league ranking in parenthesis, via TruMedia. Minimum 200 pass rush snaps; 178 qualified pass rushers.)
| player | Prsr% | Prsrs | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
13.2 (28) |
77 (5) |
15.5 (4) |
|
|
13.2 (29) |
57 (19) |
11.0 (14) |
|
|
12.9 (34) |
52 (33) |
12.0 (11) |
|
|
12.9 (35) |
63 (13) |
7.5 (38) |
|
|
12.3 (43) |
58 (17) |
10.5 (17) |
|
|
11.4 (53) |
56 (20) |
8.0 (30) |
|
|
10.5 (69) |
34 (77) |
6.5 (47) |
|
|
10.4 (71) |
40 (57) |
5.0 (66) |
|
|
10.3 (76) |
47 (40) |
7.5 (38) |
|
|
9.7 (92) |
53 (30) |
7.5 (38) |
|
|
9.6 (98) |
49 (36) |
11.5 (12) |
Jones turned 29 in July. He certainly has a few good or great seasons left in him. You knew he would be handsomely rewarded by the Chiefs at some point this offseason. — Holder
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Required reading
The Football 100, the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, goes on sale this fall. Pre-order it here.
(Photo: David Eulitt / Getty Images)
