With five straight Pro Bowl selections, five All-Pro nods and a Top 3 finish in Defensive Player of the Year honors last season, Chris Jones has already established himself as the top interior defensive lineman in the NFL. 

Now, after helping lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a repeat Super Bowl championship, Jones is also a free agent. 

Jones will command QB levels of compensation, but teams hungry for a KC-level turnaround of their defense could look his way as an immediate fix. 

Bookies.com veteran oddsmaker Adam Thompson has used his resources of NFL contacts developed over 20 years covering the league to update his NFL futures on Jones’ 2024 team. 

Chris Jones 2024 Team Odds

Jones earned $22.7 million this past season with the Chiefs on a one-year restricted deal. He is a free agent, though the Chiefs have the right to use their franchise tag on the three-time All-Pro. 

But will they? Jones has been a key force in the trenches for KC during this dynastic run, though in 2023 his numbers slipped. Despite playing just one fewer game in 2023 (16, compared to 17 in ’22), his sack total dropped by five, and all measurable tackle totals (combo, solo, for loss) also went south. 

He’ll be 30 for the 2024 season, so age may become a slight deterrent on a longer-term deal. 

KC enters the offseason with $28.3 million in cap space but with the fewest players under contract of any team in the NFL. With a franchise tag for Jones estimated at about $32 million – a record for a non-QB – franchising Jones would decimate the payroll with a lot of open roster spots out there. 

The Chiefs hold the cards for now, but if they let him free, there are several notable teams with cash to spend and a glaring hole on the D-line.

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Houston has $73.9 million in cap room and appears to be a team on the fast rise. Led by a new QB (C.J. Stoud) and a new coach (DeMeco Ryans), the Texans skipped a few steps in their rebuild, going from the No. 2 overall pick to making the playoffs. The defense ranked sixth vs. the run and was eighth in sacks. Jones would be tasked with making a good defense great in Houston. That might be the preferred move for the veteran. 

The Detroit Lions ranked No. 2 vs. the run but only 23rd in sacks. Their top two 2024 free agents are defensive linemen, Romeo Okwara and Charles Harris. They have $65.7 million in cap space to play with, and as solid a chance for a Super Bowl run as any other team with the ability to pay Jones what he will get on the open market. 

The Cincinnati Bengals were one of the bottom teams vs. the run and their 2.6 sacks per game was about the league average. But Cincy is in win-now mode with Joe Burrow returning from injury and several key players up for free agency soon. The Bengals have $52.4 million in cap space. 

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After those teams, the landscape gets murkier. Most teams with money don’t have a D-line as one of their pressing off-season needs, and those with the need won’t have the money for Jones. 

The Chicago Bears have $82.9 million in cap space, so affording Jones isn't an issue. That number could go up if the Bears trade QB Justin Fields and get a new, cheaper QB in the 2024 NFL Draft. D-line is a concern for the Bears, but shoring up the offense (WR and O-line are must-improve's) get first priority. 

No team needs defensive line help more than the Seattle Seahawks, but at just $16.1 million in available cap space, other major moves would be required for Jones to even consider heading northwest. 

The Washington Commanders and New England Patriots have the funds to make it work but have massive needs in other spots as well. The Commanders and Pats each have new, defense-minded head coaches, who could see Jones as a transformative figure on that side of the ball. 

The Field is led by other teams with needs but without means, or vice versa, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals.

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