Getty Kansas City Chiefs DL Chris Jones.
The prize of free agency may be Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones. The five-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champion is one of the best players in the NFL and this is likely his last chance to get a massive payday considering he turns 30 in July.
There should be no shortage of teams willing to pay him a king’s ransom and the Las Vegas Raiders are a team to keep an eye on, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
“He may stay in the AFC West,” Garafolo said on the March 5 episode of “The NFL Report.”
“I’m just saying the place where he played his last game as a Chief, may be his first game with somebody. … I’m just saying … I’m just trying to find a way to not allude to the fact that it’s the Raiders I’m talking about.”
It’s very notable that Garafolo would mention the Raiders as a possible landing spot while also being so hesitant to say it outright. One Chiefs fan on X sent a message to Jones saying that he would be dead to the fan base if he signed with the rival Raiders to which the defensive tackle simply replied with a handshake emoji.
It’s not entirely clear what Jones could mean by that. Perhaps it’s simply him saying he doesn’t care if one fan is upset with him. It could also mean that he’s ready to sever ties with Kansas City, but that seems unlikely. Regardless, he’s a very interesting player to watch in the coming days.
Does Chris Jones Want to Leave Kanas City?
Chris Jones is a very difficult player to get a read on. He held out of last year’s training camp and missed the first game of the season due to a contract dispute. He eventually signed and helped lead the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. He even said at the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City that he was going to stay with the team.
It’s difficult to take those words too seriously considering the setting but he’s also been putting out cryptic signals. He posted a photo of him with head coach Andy Reid in a March 7 X post with a caption that simply said, “KC.”
It’s impossible to tell if this is him saying goodbye or him signaling that he’s working on a contract to stay with the Chiefs. He may not even know for sure what he’s doing yet and is just having fun. Free agency starts on March 11 so it won’t be long before there are answers.
What Signing Chris Jones Would Mean for Las Vegas Raiders
Though Chris Jones will be 30 at the start of the 2024 season, he’s shown no signs of slowing down. He has 35.0 sacks combined over the last three seasons, which is a huge number from a defensive tackle.
The Raiders adding him could be transformative for the defense. The team already has one of the best defensive ends in the NFL with Maxx Crosby. Adding Jones on the inside would arguably give the Raiders the best defensive line duo in the NFL. If Malcolm Koonce continues to improve and former first-round pick Tyree Wilson bounces back, the Raiders could have one of the best defenses in the NFL. An elite defensive line would go a long way in masking other potential holes on the defense.
Though Jones is going to cost over $20 million a season, he would be worth the big price tag to a team like the Raiders.