The Kansas City Chiefs organization as a whole is still riding the high of their Super Bowl championship victory over the San Francisco 49ers. However, they have some big questions that need to be answered this offseason if they want to remain contenders, particularly when it comes to All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Jones is slated to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, which should be concerning to Chiefs fans considering the massive role that he has played in the Chiefs building the dynasty they are currently in the midst of.
On Wednesday, Peter Schrager of Good Morning Football laid out that case for the Chiefs doing everything in their power to keep Jones, even if it means overpaying Jones to get him to return to Kansas City.
“I think if Chris Jones never plays another snap he is a Hall of Famer,” said Schrager during an appearance on FS1’s First Things First. “He is the most underrated player of this entire Chiefs run. You look at the top-ten vote-getters for the Defensive Player of the Year award, he didn’t even make the list. Chris Jones is a game-wrecker, and he is beloved in the locker room. He wants to be a Chief, he has expressed as much. The Chiefs want him. Everyone in Chiefs Kingdom wants him there. I would overpay. At the sacrifice of what? Chris Jones belongs in a Chiefs uniform. I thought he exceeded expectations. To me, this is a no-brainer, you pay the guy what he wants.”
It’s hard to argue with Schrager’s sentiment here. Jones played a key role throughout the postseason yet again in the Chiefs Super Bowl run, and yet again was near the top of the NFL in pass-rush win-rate at his position, sitting only behind Aaron Donald in the important statistic.
The Chiefs obviously would love to have him back if it were strictly an on-field decision. But it will ultimately come down to whether or not the Chiefs are willing to match Jones’ contract demands.
Jones notably held out from the team last offseason, a holdout that lasted throughout the entirety of training camp until Week 2 of the regular season. So it is certainly possible that he could seek other opportunities if the Chiefs aren’t willing to pay him what he thinks he deserves.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.