Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones made his 2023 regular season debut in Week 2 and quickly showed why the team missed him in Week 1.
Jones earned 1.5 sacks and a batted pass during Kansas City’s 17-9 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, showing that while he may have missed offseason workouts and the preseason, his game never actually went anywhere.
Buy Chiefs TicketsOne person who was seen having a good time with Jones was Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who was super excited to have Jones back with the team.
“It’s just an interesting scenario, man,” Kelce said after the game. “I just want to make sure that he felt … that he’s every part of this from the jump that he’s always been. I love that guy.”
Jones’ absence from the team was purely contract-related. Long story short, Jones wanted a multi-year deal and to be paid like a top defensive lineman. Jones and the Chiefs weren’t able to come to an agreement that satisfied those terms, so the two agreed to a one-year deal with performance-based incentives added for Jones to earn throughout the season.
It may not have been what Jones wanted, but it’ll at least hold him over for the rest of the year. In the meantime, Jones can get back on the field and do what he does best.
“You know, sometimes contracts and things like that can kind of … get in the way, or at least the media can portray people to be somebody they’re not,” Kelce said. “I just wanted to make sure he knew we were happy as hell to get him back out there on the field and in the building. His energy is needed, man.”
