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His sack numbers may be down a little, but Kansas City’s most dangerous pass rusher is still on pace for big things in 2023.
Chris Jones was a contract holdout for the Chiefs to begin the campaign, missing their opening loss to the Detroit Lions (21-20).
Since his return, though, Jones has been another key contributor to a Chiefs defensive front that is among the best in the NFL regarding yards allowed per game (288.2) and quarterback sacks (31).
While missing training camp and the season’s opening game cost Jones some heavy fines, the Chiefs defensive tackle has made up for that with his play on the field.
Why Jones is an All-Pro
During the 2022 regular season, Kansas City was second in team sacks (55), led by Jones, who had 15.5, the fourth-most in the NFL.
As a result, he was named a First-team All-Pro for the first time in his career while making the Pro Bowl on a fourth successive occasion.
So far, at the midway point of 2023, he’s registered 5.5 sacks, 0.5 fewer than George Karlaftis for the team lead and tied with Mike Danna.
Jones is a little behind his 2022 numbers, but is still in line for an excellent year.
Looking at what Jones brings to the table outside of the obvious sack totals, he seems to be on his way toward another First-team All-Pro selection.
Creating openings
Last season, Jones built a reputation for being a nightmare to contain for offensive linemen, and that’s still the case in 2023.
According to ESPN, he leads all NFL players in double-team rate, drawing two blockers on 71% of his snaps.
Despite the best efforts of opposing O-linemen, Jones still ranks fourth in total pressures and is tied for second in total sacks among interior defenders.
The rewards for the Chiefs’ defensive unit are great because of this, as Jones’ popularity opens the door for the likes of Karlaftis, Danna and Charles Omenihu to get after opposing QBS.
As things stand right now, Jones is on pace to register 11 sacks and 64 pressures this season, slightly down from 2022.
Those are still strong First-team All-Pro numbers, which could earn him a big new contract if he can get that distinction once again.
Is he worth it?
Jones signed a one-year deal earlier this year to return to the Chiefs for $19.5 million.
NFL insider Ian Rapaport broke down the incentives of this deal as follows:
- $1 million for 35% playing time.
- $1 million for 50% of the playing time
- $1.25 million for 10 sacks.
- Another $500K for 15 sacks.
- $1 million for first-team All-Pro and Super Bowl LVIII appearances
- $2 million for Defensive Player of the Year and a Super Bowl LVIII win
Should Jones be able to tick all those boxes, whatever salary he earns going forward, you’d think that would be the last thing on fans’ minds.
That would, however, leave the Chiefs management team with a difficult decision to make about him.
According to the NFL Network’s Jesse Palmer, the franchise tag for 2024 would be $32.4 million.
It’d be a hefty price, given how well the Chiefs have fared defensively across the board thus far, but Jones has been worth every penny of his deal this season.