Despite that vaunted Kansas City offense serving as the highlight of their dynasty so far, one name, almost singlehandedly, has kept the ship sailing on the other side of the football. Chris Jones during his 8-year run (as of August 2024) with the team, has become one of the best defensive tackles in all of football and one of its premier defensive threats, period.
A virtual guarantee for a Pro Bowl and/or All-Pro team, fans of Jones were familiar with his talent and pedigree. It is something he started showing at a spry, young age during his time in Mississippi.
Jones was born on July 3, 1994, in Houston, Mississippi, where he would attend Houston High School for his high school football career. During his tenure, he would dominate at an unprecedented rate, vaulting into the five-star recruit category, and finding a spot among the top players in his class. Opting to stay close to home, he elected for the Mississippi State University to pursue his collegiate aspirations.
Immediately, Jones was an active and essential member of Mississippi State. In his freshman year, he would participate in all 13 games, even making the starting lineup for 3. His run of durability would continue throughout his sophomore and junior years as well. In each of his 3 years, he would suit up in all games for Mississippi State. For his tenure, his tackles number would continue to improve. While the first two seasons saw him total 32 and 26 tackles respectively, his final year saw him take a major jump to 44 tackles.
Instead of a senior year with Mississippi, however, Jones chose to declare for the 2016 NFL Draft. However, the story coming out before the draft was a rather embarrassing one for Jones. During the NFL Combine, he would compete and complete all workout and positional drills. But, it was during the 40-yard dash that Jones would suffer an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction that went viral on social media. But, on the business end, his numbers were fantastic throughout.
Jones has been a stand-out player for the Chiefs over the years and in March 2024 he was rewarded with the biggest contract for a defensive tackle in the NFL after the team signed him to a new 5-year $158,750,00 contract.
Chris Jones Draft
Unsurprisingly, Jones was taken by the Chiefs with the 37th overall pick in the second round, as the 5th tackle off the board. A spectacular collegiate career, measurables that put him in rarefied air, 6’6” and 310, and a strong showing at the NFL Combine had Chris Jones touted as one of the five best defensive tackles in the draft.
Jones was entering a competitive defensive tackle race alongside 4 other names, eventually securing the backup defensive tackle role. However, throughout the season, he would continue to impress, earning himself the starting role just 6 games in, one he’s kept to this day. For his rookie season, his numbers were off the chart, as he would rack up 28 combined tackles, along with 4 sacks. His efforts saw him immediately enter the discussion for one of the best defensive players in the league and a spot on the All-Rookie Team.
His second year saw him improve across the board, improving his tally in virtually every category. However, it was Year 3 when Jones truly took off to unprecedented heights. Behind 15.5 sacks, up from 6 the previous year, his improved defense saw him land a spot on the Second-team All-Pro. He would continue his impressive streak the following year, making his first Pro Bowl, which would begin a streak of 5 straight. His play was instrumental throughout the 2019 playoffs in helping Kansas City reach, and win, their first Super Bowl since 1970. During the big game, he would record just one tackle, however, forcing the game’s first turnover immediately set the momentum for his team.
Since then, Jones has become a staple of the Kansas City Chiefs attack and is one of the key reasons for their burgeoning dynasty. With his tackles and sack numbers providing empirical evidence for the eye test, this run has cemented Jones as one of the better defensive players in the league. For his efforts, he has earned a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2022 and 2023 as well, apart from the 5 straight Pro Bowls.
In 2022, when the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl of this era, he enjoyed a career year with 44 tackles and 15.5 sacks, earning him his first First-team All-Pro selection. He would carry over that same form to the playoff run as well, accumulating 8 total tackles, along with 2 sacks. He was also an essential member of the back-to-back Super Bowl winning Chiefs team in 2023 in which he once again played a crucial role throughout the season.
FAQs
A: Chris Jones has been the starting defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs for the better part of 8 years, after getting drafted by them in the 2nd round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
A: Chris Jones would set the record for most consecutive games with a sack at 11, one that had held true for over a quarter of a century, since 1993
A: Chris Jones has been selected to two First-Team All-Pro in 2022 and 2023. He has also been named to the Second-Team All-Pro on three more occasions.
A: The Kansas City Chiefs and Chris Jones agreed to a five-year deal in 2024 that will see Jones remain with the team till 2029.
A: Chris Jones' new five-year contract comes with an average annual salary of $31.75 million.
