The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to rest the majority of their starters on Sunday, but star DT Chris Jones might not be one of them.
According to a new report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jones is motivated to play in Week 17 because he needs 2.5 sacks to earn a $1.25 million incentive. Jones has just 7.5 sacks on the season and needs 10 sacks on the year to earn that incentive.
Jones hasn’t recorded 2.5 sacks in a single game all season, with his best game of the year coming in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens with two sacks. Earlier in the season when he faced the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2, Jones didn’t record a single sack. However, his last game to record 2.5 sacks came against the Chargers in 2018.
Kansas City is resting a handful of players, but DT Chris Jones does not want to be one. Jones needs 2.5 sacks today to collect a $1.25 million incentive. Jones has a $1.25 million incentive for 10 sacks and he currently has 7.5.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 3, 2021
Letting Jones play on Sunday would be a big misstep by the Chiefs. If he’s concerned about the sack incentive, the easiest way to handle it is for the team to amend his contract to allow him to reach those sack goals in the playoffs. That’s an amicable solution for both parties and could incentivize some pass rush out of Jones when it counts the most rather than during a meaningless Week 17 game.
There’s no reason that the team should feel motivated to put him at risk of injury this week. If they had planned on resting him beforehand, they shouldn’t budge, even if Jones wants to play. They should, however, try to find a way to let him hit his incentive goal during the playoffs.
