​The Kansas City Chiefs endured a disappointing season last year, missing the playoffs for the first time since before Patrick Mahomes arrived in 2017. Still, there is optimism that their 6-11 record in 2025 was merely a temporary setback rather than the beginning of a decline. If Mahomes can regain peak form afterACL surgery, if more playmakers step up, and if Steve Spagnuolo’s defense can continue to be a top-10 unit, the Chiefs could find themselves back in the postseason without much trouble. Of course, those are substantial ifs, but one player who will likely play a crucial role may be nearing the end of his tenure in Kansas City.
Last season, the Chiefs ranked among the league leaders in points allowed, giving up the sixth-fewest in the NFL, and their defense was a major reason they remained competitive. Central to that unit was three-time All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones. Yet last year marked the first time in three seasons that Jones did not earn First-Team All-Pro honors, even though he still logged a solid 7.5 sacks. Some observers worry that his decline could signal a broader downtrend as he ages into his 30s. If Jones doesn’t rebound in 2026, The Kansas City Star’s Pete Sweeney believes this could be Jones’s final season with the Chiefs unless he agrees to restructure his contract or accept a pay cut.
“It’s never easy to face the possibility that a future Pro Football Hall of Famer and a lock to be a Chiefs Ring of Honor might move on, but that reality is all too common in today’s NFL. Without a restructuring or pay cut next offseason, this could very well be Jones’s last season in a Chiefs uniform,” Sweeney wrote.
Jones already carries a massive cap hit of $44 million in 2026. If he doesn’t deliver at an elite level this season, there’s little incentive for Kansas City to keep him around at a $38 million cap hit in 2027, when he will be 33. His current contract runs through the end of the 2028 season, which would include an even larger $44.8 million cap hit in a year when Jones would be 34.