Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.
The Kansas City Chiefs‘ season isn’t over yet, but division rival and Las Vegas Raider Maxx Crosby wants Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones to know he’d love to play alongside him in Vegas in 2024.
“I mean, I would take Chris Jones in a heartbeat,” Crosby told Heavy Sports’ Austin Boyd on February 1. “I know Chris really well. So I mean, there are a lot of guys in free agency, a lot of great defensive tackles. It would be it would be awesome. I mean, Chris Jones is one of the best in the game, if not the best at what he does. I know he’s a Chief, but at the end of the day, if you want to come to the Raiders, come on down. I’m all for it.”
After holding out for a new contract in 2023 and then receiving a one-year deal from the Chiefs worth up to $25 million, Jones is slated to hit free agency this offseason for the first time in his NFL career.
According to Spotrac’s calculated market value, Jones’s value is three years and $85.4 million, which is an average annual value (AAV) of $28.4 million. Per Nate Taylor of The Athletic in July, before settling on the one-year deal with Kansas City Jones wanted a contract that paid him $30 million annually.
The Raiders are projected to have $43.3 million in cap space for the 2024 season, per Spotrac. That leaves Las Vegas with plenty of room to sign Jones, who would make an elite duo alongside Crosby.
Chris Jones Hasn’t Ruled Out Staying in KC
Though the result of his contract holdout hints at a departure from Kansas City this offseason, Jones hasn’t completely ruled out re-joining the Chiefs next season.
Sports Illustrated NFL Insider Albert Breer spoke with Jones after the Chiefs’ 27-24 win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round. Breer’s conversation with Jones tells us all we need to know regarding where Jones wants to be after the 2023 season.
He and I talked about that, including his suggestion that the Chiefs hold off on putting him on the edge earlier in the game, which paid off. He also mentioned how much defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has meant to him over the past few years: “Spags is a wizard. I hope he doesn’t get a head coaching job, hoping he stay with me forever.” To which I had to ask … Does that mean that, after all the contractual animus you’ve had with the team, you’re planning to stay in Kansas City after all?
He smiled.
“If the Chiefs keep me, I’ll stay,” he says. “That’s always been the plan.”
Jones Talks Chiefs’ Current Playoff Run
After a rocky 2023 regular season, the Chiefs seemingly flipped a switch and are playing a much cleaner and more efficient brand of football during the postseason, which is why they have reached the 2024 Super Bowl.
Speaking to the media after Kansas City’s 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship, Jones spoke about the many obstacles the Chiefs have had to overcome to get to where they are now.
“I think it’s evident that we had to finally go on the road and win a road playoff game,” Jones said during his postgame press conference. “The obstacles we had just to get to this AFC Championship game [was] one, Josh Allen and defeating the Buffalo Bills. [We] played our first game at Arrowhead [stadium] facing the Miami Dolphins, one of the highest-powered offenses in this game. I think they scored 70 points in the second game of the year.
“When you take it into consideration, it’s like, that’s a lot of obstacles that we had to get through to be where we are today, and then face Lamar [Jackson] with one of the best defenses I’ve seen. They’ve got a complete team and being able to overcome that is an obstacle in itself. I think Lamar [Jackson] showed why he’s MVP and why he will win it again this year. He’s an outstanding quarterback, and they’ve got a lot of weapons around him.”
The Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl, which will take place in Las Vegas on February 11.
According to Heavy’s projections, which are powered by Quarter4, the Chiefs have a 36% chance of defeating the 49ers.