Chris

Jones

When asked about Jones’ expected return-to-play timeline, Andy Reid initially offered “We’ll see, we’ll see” before joking, “I know he was messing with you guys but he does have a groin there. I mean, we all have groins but he has a sore groin.” The two-time defending first-team All-Pro has ample time to recover before Week 1 kicks off but his status as an elite interior defender makes this a storyline to monitor.

Jones’ teammate, Travis Kelce, previously said he can’t put a timeframe on when he would retire, but plans to play through his contract. Jones said, “We can’t let TK go. It’s like we retire, we’ve got to retire together.” He turns 30 next month and plans to play through the new five-year deal he signed with the Chiefs this offseason. Jones continued, “Give me at least six, four years, then we’ll talk about it.” Jones is still playing at a high level, tallying 10.5 sacks last season. He will aim to contribute to a Chiefs three-peat, while the team keeps the core veterans together for the short-term.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal includes a mammoth $95 million guaranteed, a new record for a defensive tackle. Even more impressively, all that money comes the first three years. Jones’ decision to hold out last summer and miss Week 1 continues to pay off in the long run. A monster all last season — especially in the playoffs — 30-year-old Jones (in July) and the Chiefs had seemed to bury any ill will by the time the team’s championship parade rolled around, with Jones guaranteeing he would return for 2024. The new contract is a win-win for both sides, with Jones getting his pay day and the Chiefs not committing money to an interior lineman beyond his age-32 campaign.

Per Dianna Russini, Jones is still seeking an annual $30 million, which would put him behind Aaron Donald and Nick Bosa but make him the league’s third highest paid defender. Unlike last year, negotiations seem to be in a good place, with GM Brett Veach publicly declaring he wants to sign Jones long-term. The Chiefs have spent the week clearing cap space. This seems like it is going to get done.

Last offseason, Jones held out and ultimately signed a one-year deal to return to the Chiefs for 2023 after missing Week 1. Though Jones and the Chiefs could not agree to a long-term deal last offseason, there seems to be mutual interest in getting a deal done for 2024 and beyond. Jones has posted 25.5 sacks between 2022 and 2023, winning back-to-back Super Bowls as a centerpiece of the Chiefs’ defense. The 29-year-old is in line for a big deal this offseason.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as the Chiefs were always expected to pick up Jones’ option. The fact they can tag him would give the team extra time to get a deal done should Jones not want to play on the tag, but both sides appear interested in getting a long-term deal worked out this offseason. As a result of the Chiefs picking up his option, Jones also will receive $4.25 million in incentives he earned this season.

Said is a bit of an understatement as Jones screamed his statement into the microphone during the parade. He would then lead the crowd in a “three-peat” chant. Jones is an impending free agent and is coming off consecutive First-Team All-Pro nods. He tallied 15 sacks in 2022 and 10.5 sacks in 2023. For an interior pass-rusher, his numbers are absurd. Jones held out for a new contract through the first week of the 2023 season but ultimately settled for a one-year deal. Though the two sides couldn’t come to a long-term agreement last offseason, Jones seems highly motivated to return to Kansas City for the upcoming campaign. We fully expect the two sides to work something out this time around.

Whatever injury befell Rice on Thursday appears to be minor. The rookie receiver was listed as a full participant in Friday’s final tune-up and will be good to go for Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup. In addition to Rice, the Chiefs also removed defensive tackle Chris Jones from the injury report. Jones was listed all week with a quad injury but also managed to log a full practice every day of the week.

In addition to re-signing Sneed, Veach also said bringing back DT Chris Jones is also among the team’s top priorities. Both Sneed and Jones are set to hit free agency this offseason and will be unrestricted free agents. Sneed was a fourth-round pick by the Chiefs in 2020 and has molded himself into one of the top corners in the league. Much like Sneed, Jones is also a top player in the league at his position and went through a tumultuous offseason in 2023. He held out throughout training camp but eventually received a one-year deal and didn’t miss any game time. Ideally, the Chiefs will avoid holdouts with both Sneed and Jones this offseason. The Chiefs currently have $24 million in available cap space, which could make this a tricky situation to navigate early on.

We’re more than a week out from the Super Bowl, but Pacheco practicing this early on is a good sign. We’ll see how things progress throughout next week, but Pacheco hasn’t missed a postseason contest with his injuries thus far and is a virtual lock to play in the Super Bowl, barring any setbacks. In addition to Pacheco, LB Willie Gay, DT Chris Jones, and WR Kadarius Toney also practiced in some capacity on Thursday.