As the league has evolved, it has become rare for defensive stars to remain in the same city for their whole career. For example, Future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt looked like he would and then he ended up on the Arizona Cardinals. It looks like even the allure of the Kansas City Chiefs isn’t enough to break the restrictions of the salary cap.
![Kansas City Chiefs: Defensive Player of the Year Candidate sadly acknowledges that he will enter Free Agency in 2024 1 Kansas City Chiefs Jerk McKinnon](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/USATSI_21496766_168400517_lowres-300x198.jpg)
Star Defensive Tackle Acknowledges likely last season with Kansas City Chiefs
One of the reason the Kansas City Chiefs have experienced the elite run in the last 6 years that they have is due to their ability to lock in star players to team-friendly contracts. Until recently, reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes barely cracked the top ten list in terms of quarterback salaries. Travis Kelce, for being arguably the greatest tight end of all time, ranks fourth among tight ends in salary at 14 million dollars per year.
Unfortunately for the Kansas City Chiefs, not all players are willing to take pay cuts as they’ve learned with wide receiver Tyreek Hill and defensive back Tyrann Mathieu. The current example is all-pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who is currently playing on a franchise tag and therefore making 19.5 million dollars per year, will most likely be a cap casualty in the offseason.
![Kansas City Chiefs: Defensive Player of the Year Candidate sadly acknowledges that he will enter Free Agency in 2024 2 Chris Jones Kansas City Chiefs Detroit Lions Philadelphia Eagles rematch](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/USATSI_19985007_168400517_lowres-300x200.jpg)
Chris Jones addressing the speculation of Free Agency
Chris Jones recently did an interview with NBC Sports’ Michael Smith prior to the Chiefs’ “Sunday Night Football” exhibition against the Green Bay Packers. In the interview, he discussed both the holdout over the offseason and the speculation about his future.
![Kansas City Chiefs: Defensive Player of the Year Candidate sadly acknowledges that he will enter Free Agency in 2024 3 Kansas City Chiefs referees](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/image-16-300x200.jpg)
“I never really take it personal, man. The business is the business aspect of it, man,” Jones said of contract talks. “It’s a tough business. It’s a cutthroat business and you can’t get too involved with your feelings about it.”
“If we’re speaking truthfully, this could be my last year with the Chiefs. Am I gonna hate the Chiefs for it? Am I going to down the Chiefs for it? No, I understand the business of it, you know what I mean? So I can respect the reality of things, so I never put my feelings in the business part of it.”
The Sense of Urgency of the Kansas City Chiefs
Jones was then asked if he felt a greater sense of urgency to win the Super Bowl granted that this is most likely his last season in a Kansas City Chiefs uniform.
“Hypothetically speaking, if this is my last year, I’ve given this organization everything I have. I’ve exhausted everything,” Jones said. “So if this is my last year, I’m super thankful. Hopefully it’s not but if it is, I’m super grateful for the Chiefs organization, and I’ve poured everything into this.”
![Kansas City Chiefs: Defensive Player of the Year Candidate sadly acknowledges that he will enter Free Agency in 2024 4 Kansas City Chiefs Chris Jones](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/image-45-300x200.jpg)
The Kansas City Chiefs are currently the number two seed in the AFC behind the Baltimore Ravens and will be looking to make a push into the playoffs following the final six games of the season.
“I don’t even think about it because when you start thinking about things, trying to plan, nothing really goes as planned, right?” Jones said. “It’s always a curveball, it’s always something that comes up and it’s like, ‘Ah, well, I had this planned out but …’ “So I don’t think about it. After the season, we’ll evaluate, see where we’re at and hopefully it’s still with the Chiefs.”