This has to feel weird for Chris Jones. Perhaps that's why he's feeling the need to get back to the Super Bowl as soon as possible.
Jones and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs are watching Super Bowl LX just like the rest of us, the result of a disastrous showing in 2025 that saw them fall from preseason championship favorites to missing the postseason entirely with a surprising 6-11 regular-season record.
As the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks were preparing to take the field in Santa Clara for this year's title game, Jones made it clear that he planned on being back. It apparently isn't too much fun watching others soak in all of the attention.
Took a year off, we will be back to it next year!
— Chris Jones (@StoneColdJones) February 8, 2026
A rare Super Bowl absence has Chris Jones sounding motivated again.
That's certainly the message Chiefs fans hope to hear from one of the team's most decorated players. Jones has been a defensive pillar for the Chiefs since he was selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Only Aaron Donald has kept Jones from claiming the role as the league's most impactful interior lineman for a solid half-decade, and another productive year or two should put Jones on a sure path for induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Perhaps the emotions that come with missing out on what has become so commonplace for Chiefs Kingdom will become a part of the fuel to get them back again. After all, Jones and company played in each of the last three Super Bowls and five of the last six before this one. Jones has three championship rings to his name, and there are more reasons to believe in a rebound than not.
For some perspective on just how long it's been since the NFL has broadcast a non-Chiefs Super Bowl, let's look at some things that were happening at the time that Super Bowl LVI (between the L.A. Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals) took place:
- COVID restrictions were still slowly being eased around the world.
- Uncharted ruled at the box office.
- Apple TV+ dropped an exciting new series called Severance.
- Russia had yet to launch a full-scale invasion into Ukraine.
- We were one month away from Will Smith slapping Chris Rock.
The year the Chiefs failed to make the Super Bowl, Darrel Williams was third in yards from scrimmage, and some of the team's leading tacklers included Anthony Hitchens, Ben Niemann, and Dan Sorensen.
Of course, Jones' ability to walk the talk is going to be quite difficult in the face of so many roster concerns. Patrick Mahomes is facing a lengthy rehab for a torn ACL and LCL. Major reconstruction is likely coming at running back, safety, defensive line, and wide receiver. Depending on if Travis Kelce returns or not, tight end could also be a dumpster fire.
But Jones is already ready to be a part of the reconstructive effort, and the Chiefs know what it takes to get there. Expect Andy Reid to use the sadness of sitting on Super Bowl Sunday as part of the organizational motivation to come back as strong as ever. Maybe one year from now, we'll be talking about the emotional power of Jones' prediction.