After their Super Bowl 58 win, the Chiefs wasted no time in looking to retain Chris Jones on their roster. According to Ian Rapoport, the Chiefs exercised the option on All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones' contract, retaining the right to franchise tag him and honoring the $4.25 million he earned in incentives.

The move makes it more likely that he'll be returning to the Chiefs, but it doesn't guarantee it. If Kansas City declines to franchise tag him, he will still become a free agent.

“It was more timing than anything, as Jones was due the money, regardless. If not tagged, he’ll be free,” Ian Rappaport said in his tweet reporting about the Chiefs picking up the option on Jones.

Jones, a former second-round pick of the Chiefs in 2016 from Mississippi State, completed his four-year, $6.231 million contract. In the final year, he earned a base salary of $1.19 million.

Following that, the Chiefs used the franchise tag on Jones before securing him with a four-year, $85 million extension, which included $60 million in guaranteed money.

Recently, Jones concluded the final year of his contract with a scheduled base salary of $19.5 million for 2023. However, he opted to hold out through Week 1.

To resolve the situation, the team offered him $6.75 million in incentives. That move proved pivotal, as he returned to the team and proved to be a game-changer on the defensive end. His level of play, especially against the 49ers, led the team to a Super Bowl victory.

Chris Jones publicly exclaimed at the Chiefs Super Bowl Parade that he has all intentions of staying with the team.

“We ain't done yet! Kansas City, we will be right back here next year! And for those that want Chris Jones gone, I ain't going nowhere baby!”

However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Focus reports that sources tell him that an agreement to bring Jones back to the Chiefs is expected “no time soon.”

“The first step will be whether the Chiefs apply the franchise tag to Jones,” Florio explains in his piece about what it would take for the Chiefs to keep Jones. “With his 2023 cap number at $26.808 million, it would cost the Chiefs $32.16 million for a one-year deal. If they tag him and hope to sign him to a long-term deal, $32.16 million becomes the starting point.”

Only time will tell if the Chiefs do indeed keep their defensive stalworth. However, they've taken the first step to retaining him a reality with this move.