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The Kansas City Chiefs entered the history books with their 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs are the first team since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Under head coach Andy Reid, Kansas City is the fifth team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in five years. With Reid through it all, superstar defensive tackle Chris Jones.
After hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, Reid found Jones lying on the field, trying to soak it all in. Reid bent down to shake his shoulders in celebration and ended up lying on top of him. The 65-year-old then needed assistance to get back on his feet.
The Chiefs’ official account shared a video of the moment on X, formerly known as Twitter, where it racked up over 51,000 likes and 1.9 million views.
ESPN’s Hannah Storm posted, “Love this moment… So happy for Andy Reid and the fellas!” Sirius XM’s Geoff Schwartz wrote, “Andy Reid is the best.”
Move over Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, “This is the best romance the NFL has to offer,” Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick posted, while Fox 4 KC’s Harold R. Kuntz wrote, “I can not stress enough how cool this moment is.”
Jones, the Chiefs’ second-round pick from the 2016 NFL Draft, signed a one-year $19.5 million contract to stay in Kansas City after sitting out in Week 1. The veteran All-Pro hit four of six incentives to earn an extra $4.5 million, Fox 4 KC’s Robert Rimpson posted.
Chris Jones Called the 49ers ‘Crazy’ For Taking Possession First in Overtime
While the 49ers won the coin toss ahead of overtime, their decision to possess the ball first was questionable. Based on some players’ comments, the Niners were unaware of the NFL’s new overtime rules. Even if the first team scores a touchdown on the opening drive, their opponent will have a chance to tie it up.
When the Chiefs’ defense kept San Francisco to just a field goal, and the ball went back into quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ hands, it felt as good as over. “They’re crazy,” Jones said of the 49ers.
“Because the overtime rules has changed where both teams get the ball no matter who scores. So, originally, you want to let the other team get the ball, stop them, holding (to) three, so you know what you got. Or if you stop them, they punt it, then all you have to do is kick three.”
Niners fullback Kyle Juszczyk admitted, “I didn’t even realize the playoff rules were different in overtime. I assume you just want the ball to score a touchdown and win. Guess that’s not the case. I don’t totally know the strategy there. We hadn’t talked about it, no.” Conversely, head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team did discuss overtime rules, and “we just wanted the ball third,” he told reporters.
For the Chiefs, “We’ve talked about it all year,” Reid said, per ESPN. “We talked about it in training camp about how the rules were different in regular season versus the playoffs. Every week of the playoffs we talked about the overtime rule.”
Shanahan’s choice to possess the ball was exactly what Reid wanted. “We knew what our game plan was — had we won the coin toss, whether we want to defer or not, and what our plan was from there,” he said.
Chris Jones Told Chiefs Owner Clark Hunt, ‘They’ve Got to Keep Me Here’
Throughout the season, there’s been a lot of discussion over whether the Chiefs can afford to keep Jones next year. He’s predicted to earn a three-year, $85.4 million contract as a free agent. But with Mahomes confidently announcing he’s going for a three-peat, it might be hard to leave for more money.
“I told (Chairman and CEO) Clark Hunt they’ve got to keep me here so we can keep this thing going,” Jones said, SI’s Jordan Foote reported. “We’ve got something special brewing here. We have a lot of young guys that continue to get better throughout the year. (Running back Isiah Pacheco) going into his third year and with guys like that, we can continue to carry this thing, man.”
There are several key defensive players on expiring contracts, and Kansas City can’t pay everyone. Giving Jones, who will turn 30 in June, even close to his market value will create havoc on the team’s salary cap. However, it sounds like Jones may be open to taking a discount to help keep much of the team intact.
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