The Kansas City Chiefs have won three Super Bowls in the past five seasons. While credit goes to every player on those teams, there have been three central players to this Chiefs dynasty. While Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce may get more of the limelight, Chris Jones is definitely worthy of having his name right there beside them.
At this point you can go ahead and clear a space in Canton, Ohio for the busts of Mahomes, Kelce, and head coach Andy Reid, but what are the odds that will Chris Jones' bust will be there beside them? Jones has been the star of Kansas City's defense for all three Super Bowls. He's a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time first team All-Pro. He's totaled 75.5 sacks in his eight seasons (that's 9.4 sacks per season) and he's now under contract in KC through 2028.
So what will it take for Jones to end up in the Hall of Fame? I thought the best way to answer that question was to look at some of the defensive tackles in the Hall of Fame to see how their numbers stack up. Let's start off with an old-school legend.
Alan Page
Page would be undersized by today's defensive tackle standards, but he was a monster on the interior for the Minnesota Vikings in the late 60s and early 70s. Page has 148.5 career sacks (9.9 sacks per season). He made the Pro Bowl nine times, was a First Team All-Pro five times, and was even the NFL MVP in 1971. He won one Super Bowl.
John Randle
Randle is another former Viking that was the most dominant defensive tackle of the 1990s. He had 137.5 career sacks over 14 seasons (9.8 sacks per season). He was a seven time Pro Bowler and was a First Team All-Pro six times. He never won a Super Bowl.
Randy White
Randy White is another old-school defensive tackle that would be undersized by today's standards. He had 111 sacks in 14 seasons (7.9 sacks per season) for the Dallas Cowboys. He was a nine-time Pro Bowler and was a First Team All-Pro seven times. He won one Super Bowl.
Alex Karras
Alex Karras was a star defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions in the 1960s. He's credited with 100 sacks in 12 seasons (8.3 sacks per season). He made the Pro Bowl four times and was a First Team All-Pro three times. He was also an actor who played the dad on the television series Webster and was Mongo in Blazing Saddles. He never won a Super Bowl.
Warren Sapp
Sapp is probably a good comparison to Chris Jones. He played in the modern NFL and was primarily known as a pass rusher. He ended up with 96.5 sacks in 13 seasons (7.4 sacks per season). He made the Pro Bowl seven times, was a First Team All-Pro four times, and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1999. He won one Super Bowl.
Cortez Kennedy
Cortez Kennedy doesn't have the career sack numbers of the other Hall of Fame defensive tackles on this list, but he was a dominant all-around player for the Seattle Seahawks. He had 58 sacks over 11 seasons (5.3 sacks per season). He made eight Pro Bowls, was a three-time First Team All-Pro, and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1992. He never won a Super Bowl.
Bryant Young
Bryant Young was a great all-around defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers. He had 89.5 sacks over 14 seasons (6.4 sacks per season). He made the Pro Bowl four times, was a First Team All-Pro team once, and won one Super Bowl.
How Does Chris Jones Stack Up?
Chris Jones' 9.4 sacks per season is currently only behind Page and Randle, but the odds of him maintaining that level until he retires is extremely low. The question is how high he can keep that number by the time he retires?
If he can get to 100 total sacks (5 sacks per season for 5 years would do it), or keep that sacks per season number over seven he has great odds of getting in. Jones could also stand to add a couple more Pro Bowls and one more First Team All-Pro to his résume. If you were to mix those things in with his postseason success, I think he'll be a lock for the Hall of Fame.
Another factor could be the numbers of soon to be Hall of Famers like Aaron Donald and JJ Watt. Both of those two averaged more sacks per season for their careers than Jones currently is (although Watt played more DE than Jones does) and each of them were the Defensive Player of the Year three times (something Jones has never done). Could those guys set the bar too high for Jones to hit?
So what do you think? Is Chris Jones on pace to make the Hall of Fame? How much longer does he need to maintain his current level of play to get in? Does his average run defense mean he has to at least get to Warren Sapp's 96.5 career sacks to get in? That would take just 4.5 sacks per season over the next five seasons. I think that's incredibly likely and I'm convinced that the spotlight that KC's postseason success has put on his play is going to earn him a spot in Canton next to Mahomes, Kelce, and Reid.
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