Chiefs bring back war veteran to support Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce

The Chiefs front office has been very active in this first week of free agency.

The Kansas City Chiefs are spending big in pursuit of an unprecedented three-peat. With free agency in full swing, the current NFL champion delivered a masterstroke by securing the return of one of his defensive stars to give peace of mind to Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

According to press reports, the Chiefs re-signed defensive tackle Chris Jones, one of the key pieces for their recent two-time championship. Spotrac claims the deal is for five years and $158.75 million, with a $30 million signing bonus and $60 million guaranteed at signing.

Jones has been with Kansas City since 2016, when he began his career, and has had four contracts since then. The most recent was the one-year, $19.5 million deal he signed for the 2023 season, according to information from Spotrac.

The Chiefs will maintain the backbone of their defense
The deal makes Jones the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL. It also guarantees to preserve the core of coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense since they also managed to re-sign defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, for an unspecified amount.

Jones has been a three-time champion with the Chiefs in 2019, 2022, and 2023, with a record of eight tackles in the three games. Wharton missed Super Bowl LVII due to injury but did play in Super Bowl LVIII, where he made a tackle.

The Chiefs in free agency
The Chiefs front office has been very active in this free agency period. It already confirmed the re-signing of linebacker Drue Tranquill, defensive tackle Mike Pennel, and safety Deon Bush.

This Thursday, they signed tight end Irvin Smith Jr. from the Cincinnati Bengals. However, they have also suffered casualties, including that of guard Nick Allegretti, who recently signed with the Washington Commanders.

We are only a few days into free agency, and the Chiefs have wasted no time rearranging their pieces. A third championship in a row seems like an overly ambitious goal, given that no one has achieved it, but if anyone has a chance, it’s head coach Mike McCarthy’s Chiefs.