The Kansas City Chiefs and superstar defensive lineman Chris Jones agreed to terms on a new deal on the evening of September 11.
Although the exact details were not announced, the sentiment around the league was that Jones and his agents caved, being that he only agreed to a revised one-year contract. After the news, The 33rd Team NFL insider Ari Meirov outlined the situation, including the fines he incurred while holding out.
“Chris Jones was fined nearly $2M for missing training camp and forfeited a $500,000 workout bonus, as well as a $1.1M game check for missing Week 1. That’s about $3.6M gone,” Meirov informed. “He ends up signing an updated 1 -year deal for this season, not a big extension. Will be interesting to see what he ended up doing.”
To be clear, this was a factually accurate post from Meirov but Jones corrected him, nonetheless. “Got it all back!” He stated bluntly, to which Meirov replied with a salute emoji and a Chris Jones GIF. Apparently, the game wrecker wants everyone to know he was compensated for his absence in full.
Chiefs’ Chris Jones Is Obvious Upgrade Over Fill-In Matt Dickerson
According to Pro Football Focus, defensive tackle Matt Dickerson was Jones’ major replacement against the Detroit Lions. The practice squad elevation logged an admirable 41 defensive snaps with Tershawn Wharton working his way back from a torn ACL (27 snaps).
4-3 nose tackle Derrick Nnadi also registered 39 snaps — with the rookie Keondre Coburn on the field for nine — but you can guarantee that Jones will take over for Dickerson as the snap leader at D-tackle against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Only, Jones should average more than 41 snaps assuming he’s fit and ready to go.
That’s obviously a massive upgrade for Kansas City. Per PFF, Dickerson was a liability against the run versus the Lions with a 35.4 grade and a stop percentage of 3.4%. For clarity, Nnadi was up around an 8.0% stop percentage in this regard.
Dickerson did have a better grade as a pass rusher but registered zero quarterback pressures on Jared Goff. That’s where Jones will really make a noticeable difference.
Last year, during the regular season and postseason combined, the All-Pro accumulated 97 QB pressures and 15.5 sacks. Jones was also credited with 17 key run stops (stop percentage of 5.2%) and an average depth of tackle of 1.8 yards.
We’ll continue to wait on further clarity from Jones or the Chiefs on the precise details of his new contract, and why it was enough to coax the missing star back onto the field.
Chris Jones to Chiefs Kingdom: ‘Letsssss gooooooooooo ⏳’
Jones also sent another message to Chiefs Kingdom on Monday night, but this one was more of a hype statement for fans. “Letsssss gooooooooooo ⏳,” the key piece voiced on his X account, confirmation that he is indeed back and ready to play.
Letsssss gooooooooooo ⏳
That post immediately went viral, as you’d expect, with over 9.7K likes in approximately three hours’ time.
The Chiefs defense was solid in Week 1, but Jones’ presence will still be welcomed by teammates and fans alike. Without the 6-foot-6 pass rusher, there’s an X-factor need on the D-line — someone who makes plays and wins games for this franchise.
In other words, KC might have survived without Jones, but their defense becomes more of a weapon whenever he’s on the field.
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Chiefs’ Chris Jones Corrects NFL Insider After Signing New Deal