The Kansas City Chiefs knew prior to Super Bowl LVIII that the game could be the final one with Chris Jones on the roster. But their feelings on him haven't changed.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach both have said they want Jones, who is set to hit free agency in March, back for the 2024 season. Reid believes there will be an earnest effort toward trying to make that happen.
"Yeah, listen, I think Veach has said it before, we'd love to have him back, and they're just got to work all that out," Reid said Tuesday at his end-of-season news conference. "But I think the effort will be there probably on both parts to try and get something done."
Jones was one of the Chiefs' unsung heroes in the Super Bowl victory over the 49ers. Playing 55 of the 75 defensive snaps, Jones was only credited with four tackles and two QB hits, but his relentless pressure must be factored in as well. According to Next Gen Stats, he generated a team-high six pressures on 35 pass-rush snaps (17.1% pressure rate), with three of those pressures occurring in under 2.5 seconds (2.52-second average time to pressure).
One of Jones' signature plays was his relentless pressure of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy on what would be the Niners' final offensive play of the game. Purdy had Brandon Aiyuk streaking open in the end zone, but the pressure forced Purdy to throw the ball away.
Reid and Jones also shared an intimate moment after the Super Bowl victory -- at the bottom of the dog pile -- with the coach saying that Jones responded in a big way after he'd pushed him to deliver on the biggest of stages.
"Yeah, so happy for him," Reid said. "I'd kinda been riding him a little bit, we needed him in there. And he was spent, and he was tired, but he sucked it up and he got out there and he pushed himself probably further than he thought he could push himself.
"I mean, he took himself to that state, that wrestling state where you've got to really reach down in there and kind of get through that evil thing that's kicking your butt internally. He did that, and I'm so proud of him for that."
Veach said leading up to the game that re-signing the 29-year old Jones, who was just named to his fifth Pro Bowl team and was named first-team All-Pro in back-to-back years, would be one of the team's priorities this offseason, along with bringing back corneback L’Jarius Sneed.
"Sometimes I look at our situation and I'm like, 'I don't know how we're going to do this,' but we usually work through things systematically and have a list of the priorities," Veach said at the time, via ESPN. "Certainly, Chris and LJ are at the top of the list.
"It's extremely hard because you have two keystone players there."
Sneed would be one of the most coveted free agents if he hit the open market. But so would Jones. The Chiefs are currently about $22 million under the projected salary cap for 2024, per Over The Cap, but signing both will come with some challenges.
In 123 career regular-season games for the Chiefs, Jones has amassed 273 tackles (78 for losses), 75.5 sacks, 37 passes defended, 12 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions (one run back for a TD) and a safety. In 19 playoff games, he's added 38 tackles (five for losses), one forced fumble and 11 passes defended.
