The Kansas City Chiefs have picked up defensive star Chris Jones’ option for the 2024 season, giving them the right to franchise him this year.

It looks like the Kansas City Chiefs are holding up their end of the bargain.

After Chris Jones declared during K.C.’s championship parade that he wanted to return for the 2024 campaign despite his impending free agency, it seems as though the franchise is on the same page, as they have picked up his 2024 option, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

This means that they have now retained the right to slap the franchise tag on the big fella, which would pay him just over $20 million for the 2024 campaign, per Spotrac. If they chose to use the transition tag, it would cost them just under $16 million, per OverTheCap.

Kansas City picking up the option also means that they will now pay him the $4.5 million in incentives that he earned for his First-Team All-Pro performance in 2023, per Rapoport. If Jones is not tagged, he will be free to hit the open market, where the 29-year-old will likely command even more than what he would be paid through the franchise tag.

There are already seven DTs making on contracts with an AAV over $20 million, and there’s an argument to be made that Jones is better than each and every one of them.

Chris Jones remains elite as he nears 30
DT keyed the Chiefs’ defensive resurgence in 2023

This past season, the Kansas City defensive cornerstone ranked second only to the incomparable Aaron Donald among defensive tackles in pass rush win rate (20%). That’s especially impressive when you consider he saw the highest percentage of double teams (72%).

He also ranked fourth in QB knockdowns (17), ninth in QB hits (29), and ninth in QB pressures (39) among all defenders. In the Super Bowl, Jones forced two critical pressures on San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy just as Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel broke open for what would have been game-changing touchdowns.

Last offseason, Jones’ holdout ended with a revised one-year, 19.5 million deal that included a bevy of incentives. He earned an extra $1 million for playing 35 percent of the snaps, another $1 million for hitting 50 percent, and a big $1.25 million for reaching double-digit sacks.

Halfway through the season, it appeared unlikely that he’d hit that big bonus, but it came down to the last game of the year against the Los Angeles Chargers. Jones played like a man possessed or one that really wants $1.25 million, generating 12 pressures on 31 pass snaps. He finally notched that lucrative sack, resulting in a massive celebration by the entire team.

As Jones said after the Chargers win:

I lost so much money holding out, so I’m just making money back that I lost. The whole team knew the only reason I was playing was for a sack, OK.

Finding a replacement in the draft or free agency would have been impossible, in part due to Jones’ unique ability and the Chiefs’ lack of cap space (just under $24 million). General Manager Brett Veach described both Jones and fellow pending free agent L’Jarius Sneed as “keystone players.”

Second-year defensive end George Karlaftis laid out what Jones brings to the table:

He just opens so much stuff, and he requires so much attention. Aside from all the stuff he does on the field, he’s a great teammate, great leader, just such a great presence to have around. We love Chris.

Picking up Jones’ option also doesn’t preclude the team from signing Jones to a longer-term extension that could help free up money for general manager Veach to work his magic and retain a few other key free agents, such as Sneed.

Source: Ian Rapoport

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.