Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones revealed his goal for the 2023 season that is not related to his desire for a new contract.
The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to repeat as Super Bowl champions at the end of this upcoming season. Before the campaign even starts, the Chiefs do have one big task to accomplish, and that is to re-sign star defensive tackle, Chris Jones.
Given that the younger defensive tackles in the league (Jeffery Simmons, Dexter Lawrence, Daron Payne) have all received $90+ million contracts, Jones is seeking a new deal from the Chiefs before the start of the season. Until then, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Amid his desire for a new contract with the Chiefs, Jones took to Twitter on Wednesday to declare what he will do this upcoming season — win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Chiefs: Chris Jones declares he'll win Defensive Player of the Year award this season
Jones has shown that he is an immediate difference-maker on the Chiefs' defense. Not just that, but also one of the top interior defensive linemen in the entire league.
Last year, Jones recorded 44 combined tackles (30 solo, 14 assisted), 29 quarterback hits, 17 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, four passes defended, and two forced fumbles. Jones' sack and quarterback hits numbers are tied for the most he's put up in a single season, as he put up those same figures in 2018.
Despite the numbers, Jones finished third in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting last year behind the award winner Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers and Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys.
Back in 2020, Jones signed a four-year, $80 million contract extension with the Chiefs after the team placed the franchise tag on him.
Jones envisions big things for the upcoming season. But, Chiefs Kingdom is waiting for any update regarding if the defensive tackle will remain with the team long-term.
