When a player finally signs the record-setting contract extension they were seeking, fans sometimes worry that a drop-off in production will follow. Staying motivated on the field, especially when one already has multiple championships and is now over the age of 30 can be incredibly difficult. Fortunately for the Kansas City Chiefs, Chris Jones has a way to maintain his intensity and top form going into the upcoming season.
And it can potentially bring out the best of his team, too.
“I strive for (the Defensive Player of the Year award) every year,” Jones said, per Nate Taylor of The Athletic. “It’s a commitment to myself that I make and also challenging myself to make my teammates better. No matter how much money I’m making, my morals never change with football: I play because I love the game.”
The two-time All-Pro defensive tackle is undeniably one of the biggest gamebreakers in the NFL today and a big reason why the Chiefs are eyeing their third straight Super Bowl title. Surprisingly, however, he has finished inside the top-three for DPOY voting only once in his eight-year career (2022). Jones is therefore entering training camp and the 2024-25 season with a chip on his shoulder.
That is a scary thing for opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks. Multiple head-scratching losses and an inconsistent offense understandably caused many people to overlook Kansas City heading into last postseason. A lesson was subsequently learned by the end of Super Bowl 58– logic does not always trump championship intangibles.
The Chiefs thrived in the so-called underdog role, and Chris Jones is determined to do the same. The hunger he feels to secure this career milestone could be infectious for a KC squad that is already doing a good job at staying ravenous.
Chiefs hoping to start off strong amid three-peat pursuit
Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City proved they could win the Lombardi Trophy even under unfavorable circumstances with limited offensive firepower. The team prevailed on the road against both the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, maintaining an aura of invincibility that an 11-6 record is not supposed to portend.
Although the “underdog” narrative fueled them in the playoffs, the Chiefs probably do not want to face as much regular season adversity during the 2024-25 campaign. Staying in cruise control definitely has its benefits, especially in a formidable AFC that is deeper than KC's dominance would suggest.
There are adjustments that head coach Andy Reid and his staff will need to make, though, as Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Combine record-holder Xavier Worthy join the wide receiver room. Assuming everything goes to plan, the offense will feature more of the big passing plays fans were accustomed to seeing when Tyreek Hill was on the roster. Hence, the Chiefs can theoretically be even more dangerous than they were in each of the last two seasons.
A high-end defensive attack will still be an essential component of the championship blueprint, however. Chris Jones' presence in the trenches enables the secondary to perform its job to full effect and ruin the quarterback's afternoon. He makes sure to eat plenty himself, tallying 10.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and 29 QB hits in 16 games for KC last season, but the ripple effect he has on the entire defense is eye-opening.
If Jones can meet his Defensive Player of the Year expectations, or at least be a finalist for the award, then there will be many stressed-out and befuddled offensive coordinators this season.
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