Arrowhead Pride
12 – Chris Jones
Kansas City Chiefs · DE
2024 stats: 15 games | 37 tackles | 9 tfl | 5 sacks | 1 FF
Chris Jones has been a defensive stalwart and star for the Chiefs for the last nine years, playing a significant role in the team’s continued playoff success and multiple Super Bowl rings. With an active streak of six consecutive Pro Bowls and three straight first-team All-Pro nods, he’s widely regarded as one of, if not the best interior defensive lineman in the game, and the Chiefs paid him commensurately ahead of last season with a $158.75 million extension that’s almost $6 million more lucrative per year than the next highest player, per Over the Cap. At 31 years old and entering Year 10, Jones hasn’t appeared to miss a step, and should remain a fixture in the K.C. scene into his mid-30s.
NFL Pro Insight for Jones: Chris Jones recorded the second-most pressures (61) among defensive tackles this season, with 26 (most) coming in under 2.5 seconds. Jones averaged the quickest get off at his position (0.85 seconds) resulting in the fourth-quickest time to pressure (2.67 seconds) among defensive tackles with at least 15 pressures this season.
Jawaan Taylor, OT, Chiefs
Taylor was surprisingly given a four-year, $80 million contract with $60 million in guarantees, of which $40 million was fully guaranteed at signing, in 2023 free agency. He hasn’t come close to living up to his contract. The Chiefs signed Jaylon Moore, who was a swing tackle for the 49ers for the last four years while on his rookie contract, to a two-year, $30 million contract, averaging $15 million per year as an unrestricted free agent in March. That’s Moore’s likely role again because 2025 first-round pick Josh Simmons appears to be Kansas City’s long-term solution at left tackle. Taylor’s days in Kansas City will surely be numbered with another disappointing season since his replacement, Moore, is already on the roster.
Bleacher Report’s NFL All-Quarter-Century Team | Bleacher Report
1st Team: Tom Brady
2nd Team: Peyton Manning
3rd Team: Patrick Mahomes
Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers also received votes at quarterback, but the top three were totally unsurprising.
Perhaps the most shocking aspect of the QB voting was the fact that Tom Brady didn’t receive 100 percent of the first-team votes. After winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and another one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady is unquestionably the most decorated quarterback in NFL history.
Of course, an argument could be made that Peyton Manning was the best quarterback of his era; he just wasn’t fortunate...
