Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.
There’s no denying that Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones was one of the best defensive players in the NFL last season. Yet one AFC executive believes the 2022 All-Pro’s efforts weren’t as impressive as they appear on the surface.
“I think a lot of his production is inflated,” the exec told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler of Jones in an article published on July 9. “And he’s not always consistent against the run.”
The anonymous executive also added that there other defensive tackles in the league that are “more consistent and dominant” than Jones.
Fowler’s July 9 piece ranked the top defensive tackles in the NFL based on voting by league executives, coaches, scouts, and players. Jones was ranked No. 2, behind Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald.
Outside of those quotes, there was no context that provided clarity with supporting evidence to prove why that executive feels the way he does about Jones’ 2022 efforts. But there are plenty of stats that support why Jones was the NFL’s best interior defender last season.
Chris Jones Had Career Year in 2022
Chris Jones, 29, sported the highest PFF pass-rush grade among all interior defenders in the NFL in 2022 with a 92.2. He earned that for registering a total of 77 pressures (50 QB hurries, 15 sacks, 12 QB hits), 31 stops, and 2 forced fumbles during the 2022 regular season according to PFF.
Jones’ 92.3 PFF defensive grade during the regular season was also the highest among all interior defenders in the NFL, which snapped Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s eight-year streak of being the highest-graded interior defender in the NFL.
Arguably the best performance of Jones’ seven-year NFL career came during Kansas City’s AFC Championship victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in January. During that game Jones dominated by way of 10 total pressures (5 QB hurries, 3 QB hits, 2 sacks) and 3 stops.
Chris Jones Holding Out for New Contract
Chris Jones is in the final year of his four-year, $80 million deal with Kansas City and has a $28.2 million cap hit for the 2023 season according to Over The Cap.
The most efficient way to lower his cap number for at least the 2023 season would be to hand Jones a contract extension, which would give him yet another payday but would also push his cap hits down the road. Kansas City would eventually have to address those cap hits, but an extension would provide cap relief for the team for the next year or two while also making their star defender happy.
What will it take for Jones and the Chiefs to strike a new deal? According to Nate Taylor of The Athletic on March 2, Jones wants a contract extension that makes him “at least” the second highest-paid player at his position.
That means the defending Super Bowl champions will have to give Jones a deal that exceeds Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons’, as Simmons received a four-year, $94 million extension this off-season which includes $66 million in total guarantees per Over The Cap.
According to Over The Cap’s effective cap space (the cap space a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to its roster), the Chiefs currently have $652,557 in cap space.
Jones did not participate in Kansas City’s mandatory minicamp in early June as he awaits a new deal from the defending Super Bowl champions.