National Football League

Can the Kansas City Chiefs three-peat without Chris Jones?

Updated Feb. 22, 2024 9:46 a.m. ET

As the Kansas City Chiefs look to three-peat next season, the 2024 Super Bowl champions have a few decisions to make first — starting with what to do with Chris Jones.

The 29-year-old missed training camp and Week 1 of last season as he held out in hopes of securing a new contract, eventually reaching an agreement on an incentive-laden deal.

Now, he is set to enter free agency for the first time, leaving the two-time defending champions with a decision to make. How far should the Chiefs be willing to go to bring back the star defensive tackle?

FOX Sports NFL insider Peter Schrager thinks the Chiefs should do whatever it takes, stopping by "First Things First" on Wednesday to tell Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes that the Chiefs should in fact "overpay" the five-time Pro Bowler.

"Chris Jones belongs in a Chiefs uniform … This is a no-brainer," he said. "You pay the guy what he wants, he's earned it and he proved it again this year."

The now-three-time Super Bowl champion proved his value last season, especially when it mattered most. Among his 30 total tackles over the 2023 season, eight of those came in the postseason, with four of them against the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.

While the Chiefs are known more for their offense during the Patrick Mahomes era, Jones & Co. held off their opponents down the stretch to cap off another year with the Lombardi Trophy in hand.

Even in the Super Bowl, this defense allowed the Niners to convert only three of 12 third-down attempts while forcing them to punt five times, a byproduct of Jones' stellar defense and his partnership with Chiefs' defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo.

Can the Chiefs three-peat without Chris Jones?

In 16 games, Jones recorded team highs with 29 quarterback hits and 13 tackles for loss. On his way to securing his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl honor and a second straight first-team All-Pro nod, he also registered 10.5 sacks, tied for 17th in the league. It was his third season with double-digit sacks.

"If Chris Jones never plays another snap, he's a Hall of Famer," Schrager added. "He's the most underrated player of this entire Chiefs run. ... He wants to be a Chief. The Chiefs want him. Chris Jones belongs in a Chiefs uniform."

The 2016 second-round pick has been vocal about wanting to remain in Kansas City, most recently sharing at last week's championship parade "I need three of those rings, baby. We ain't done yet," he said. "Kansas City, we will be back here next year. And for those who want Chris Jones gone, I ain't going nowhere, baby!"

But despite Schrager's enthusiastic argument in favor of keeping Jones in K.C., both the former AFC Defensive Player of the Year and general manager Brett Veach have much to consider.

In a recent article, FOX Sports' AFC South reporter Ben Arthur broke down Jones' contract projection to analyze if the Chiefs can even afford to bring the star back.

Upon deeper analysis, Arthur predicted Jones' contract to fall somewhere between Los Angeles Rams' Aaron Donald and 49ers' Nick Bosa, making Jones likely worth "more than $33.1 million annually over four years ($132.5 million total value), including $93.7 million guaranteed and $67.2 million fully guaranteed."

Jones has proved to be an integral piece to this "Chiefs dynasty," but can the reigning Super Bowl champs afford to spend that much to keep their star?