The Kansas City Chiefs struck gold when they selected Chris Jones with the 37th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Jones has helped them reach four and win three Super Bowls. He’s a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro selection at the defensive tackle position, yet he still finds a way to be underrated and underestimated.
That became clearer than ever when the odds for Defensive Player of the Year were released this offseason, listing Jones as the tenth-highest odds to take home the award.
do it consistently. But if he can put up numbers similar to how he did last season, he could very well finish in the top three of the DPOY rankings.
The highest-paid defender for a reason
It’s not uncommon for star players to get their bag, and then turn into a diminished version of their former selves. It has happened countless times across NFL history, with names like Albert Haynesworth and Javon Walker coming to mind. But Jones is a different animal.
Jones has been vying for this record-setting contract for nearly two seasons, it was obvious that his appetite to show he deserved it was on display every game. With Jones finally getting the postseason sack monkey off his back in 2022, Chiefs fans could finally look at their DT and admit that he is one of the best defensive players in the league.
Now that Jones is paid like the best defensive player in the league, it’s going to be showtime all over again for the soon-to-be-30-year-old—this time to show he’s worth what he has in his bank account. Imagine the headlines and the stories that would be written about Jones winning DPOY as the highest-paid DT just one year after Patrick Mahomes won Super Bowl LVIII as the highest-paid QB.
No matter how good players like Parsons, Watt, Bosa, Myles Garrett (+750), and Maxx Crosby (+700) are this year, there’s no reason to believe that Jones couldn’t supersede them by the end of his first year as the NFL’s highest-paid DT in history.
Jones’s odds are listed anywhere from +3000 to +2500, depending on the sportsbook, totals that sit comfortably behind pass rushers like Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys and T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jones might not be the sexiest pick to win the award considering he’s only ever been a DPOY finalist once, two seasons ago when he lost to Nick Bosa who currently ranks third in odds. But given the new contract that made him the NFL’s highest-paid defender and his dominant showing last season, what’s stopping Jones from making the leap from the top five to the top of voting this season?
A full season for Chris Jones
Last year began with a very sickening camera shot of Chirs Jones sitting in the bleachers, sandwiched by his agents who were helping him hold for a bigger, better contract that he eventually received.
The season was a resounding success for Jones after Week 1’s sit-out, grabbing at least one sack in five straight games on his way to 11 total sacks (including the playoffs). Combine that with his 13 tackles for a loss, 35 quarterback hits, and a huge blitz to help secure the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory, it was easy to see why he is now the NFL’s highest-paid defensive tackle.
