The speculation station was alive on Tuesday, with more rumors rolling through following the latest comments from Chris Jones. The reality of his contract situation reared its head as the Pro Bowler remains without a long-term deal that extends beyond the end of the Kansas City Chiefs postseason.
The moment Jones clinched his contract incentive sack bonus last Sunday didn’t wipe away the prospect of him not being on the team for the 2024 season. He addressed his future during his press conference only days away from the Chiefs Wild Card matchup with the Miami Dolphins.
“I think it’s more so as the goal; you usually reflect after it’s all done. You kind of reflect on it,” Jones explained. “What’s the next chapter for you? For the team. I try not to think [that] it could be my last game in Arrowhead, and who knows? But, most importantly, we got a game to play. Trying to make a deep run in these playoffs. And if it is my last time, we got to make it worthwhile.”
Jones signed a 1-year deal worth up to $25M following his lengthy holdout during the offseason. The multiple-time Pro Bowler, who has spent his entire career with the Chiefs, further clarified his comments earlier in the press conference by switching the focus back to Saturday night’s game.
“Man, that [didn’t] cross my mind,” Jones said. “Listen. I’m just thinking about playing the Dolphins. If it is, it is; if it’s not, it’s not; you can’t think about the future because the future tends to change. People change throughout the day, feelings change by the day, and you just gotta roll with the punches in life. You know, they give you lemons, make lemonade. Right now, we try to make lemonade out of this.
“We got an exciting Dolphins team coming; I’m looking forward to it. We made the playoffs and won the AFC West, slowly knocking off goals we wanted to do throughout this year. The first thing was to win the AFC West, host a home playoff game back in Arrowhead, and then let’s make it and get the Lamar trophy again. So we’re surely checking those boxes, and we’ll continue to do that. We’ll figure this out at the end of the year, right.”
The cold weather will make things interesting for both teams as the below-freezing feel on the field will add more emphasis on defensive efficiency. Jones and his unit could be in for a night of productive plays to help extend the Chiefs postseason.
