Arrowheadlines: Chris Jones says, ‘I’m going to be MVP next year’

The latest

Chiefs’ Chris Jones promises to win MVP in 2023 | Fox4 News

This offseason has been filled with declarations for one Kansas City Chiefs star.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones used Easter Sunday to make a strong promise for the 2023 season: “I’m going to Win MVP.”

In March, Jones made another declaration by saying that he will be with the Kansas City Chiefs his whole life and he will not sign with another franchise.

Jones has been a key cog on defense since being drafted in 2016 and is coming off of a career year with 15.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and 17 tackles for loss.

The four-time All-Pro was a finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year and is a major part of the Chiefs’ two Super Bowl wins, etching his name in Chiefs galore.

Jones signed a four-year, $80 million contract extension ($60 million guaranteed) with the Chiefs ahead of the 2020 season and will be 29 years old during the 2023 season. The Houston, Mississippi native is on the Chiefs’ salary cap as a $28.2 million cap hit.

Kansas City Chiefs All-Offense 2023 Mock Draft | Arrowhead Report

Round 1, Pick 31: Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma

Anton Harrison was a three-year starter at left tackle for the Sooners and is a former teammate of current Kansas City Chief offensive lineman Creed Humphrey. The Chiefs seem to have interest in Harrison, who was in town for a top-30 visit this past week and he fits Veach’s first-round prototype at age 21. The team decided not to extend Orlando Brown Jr. and has since added Jaguars tackle Jawaan Taylor, who has played right tackle his whole NFL career.

The Chiefs have said they want Taylor to play left tackle and paid him handsomely to do so, but Harrison could give the Chiefs multiple options to protect their franchise quarterback. They could also start him at right tackle if they feel Taylor is worthy of the left tackle job. It would certainly make fans feel more comfortable going into next season knowing there is more depth to protect Patrick Mahomes.

Ex-Bengal Carson Palmer tabs Joe Burrow over Patrick Mahomes as best QB: ‘He’s more consistent’ | NFL.com

The Bengals and Chiefs need no help bolstering their rivalry, but a former Cincinnati quarterback decided to add fuel to the fire regardless.

“I think Joe (Burrow) is the best quarterback in the league,” Carson Palmer said last week on The QB Room podcast. “I know Patrick (Mahomes) is phenomenal, but I just think Joe’s more consistent. He’s more consistent. He’s more accountable to run the system and the play that’s called and not feel like, ‘Well, he didn’t win last time and get open for me, so I’m gonna do it with my feet,’ and then before you know it, you’re sacked for a four-yard loss because you tried to make two or three guys miss.

“Joe is just — talk about not having a weakness — mentally strong, physically tough, accurate, can throw it far enough, fast enough, gets the ball out quick, and then he can actually do a lot with his legs. He just rarely shows it. I think he’s as athletic outside the pocket and can do a lot of the same things Patrick Mahomes has done. He hasn’t done it and showed it yet. He’s played more within his system and style. But I think he’s the best quarterback in the league.”

What does Jeffery Simmons’ new contract mean for Chris Jones, Chiefs | Fansided

Well, for the Chiefs, they have to try and hurry up to get Jones to agree to a new contract extension. The thing is, there are some other young defensive tackles that are due for new deals, and they are both playing for New York teams. Quinnen Williams of the Jets and Dexter Lawrence of the Giants, both of whom are 2019 first-round picks, have proven to be the best at their position, and they are both due for new contracts. Considering that they are both 25 years old, they should both cash in on huge contracts.

So, what’s the rush for Jones? He can hypothetically wait until all of the top defensive tackles receive their new deals, then try to reach the Aaron Donald threshold in terms of annual salary. Maximize his value.

As for Jones, he at one point had the second-highest annual salary of any defensive tackle in the NFL after earning $20 million per season on a four-year contract. Now, as of this writing, Jones ranks sixth. Here is who ranks ahead of Jones in terms of annual salary, via Spotrac:

Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams: $31.7 million

Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee Titans: $23.5 million

Daron Payne, Washington Commanders: $22.5 million

DeForest Bucker, Indianapolis Colts: $21 million

Javon Hargrave, San Francisco 49ers: $21 million

This past regular season, Jones recorded 44 combined tackles (30 solo, 14 assisted), 29 quarterback hits, 17 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, four defended passes, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. As for the playoffs, he posted eight combined tackles (six solo, two assisted), six quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and two sacks in three games.

2023 NFL Mock Draft: Titans, Colts trade up; QBs go off the board with top three picks; Will Levis taken late | CBS Sports

Darnell Washington TE

GEORGIA • JR • 6’7” / 264 LBS

PROJECTED TEAM Kansas City

PROSPECT RNK 26th

POSITION RNK 3rd

At the combine, Darnell Washington came in at 6-foot-5 1/2, 264 pounds with 11-inch hands and nearly an 84-inch wingspan. And while he’s growing into his role as a receiver, he’s essentially another offensive tackle when he’s inline. Basically, he’d serve two roles in Kansas City: receiver in a high-powered offense and an extra blocker.

Around the NFL

Ex-Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill Roasted for Getting Cooked at Youth Camp [LOOK] | Heavy

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs, held a youth football camp in Miami, Florida on April 8. And Hill went viral during the camp for getting cooked by one of the youth football players at the camp.

The youth player had to catch a pass while Hill was covering him in order to win a Soul Runner (Tyreek’s company) hooded sweatshirt. The player ran downfield and pulled a double move on Tyreek, which caused him to fall to the ground. The player continued upfield and caught the pass while Hill was still on the ground, causing players at the camp to go crazy.

Report: Kareem Hunt won’t return to Cleveland, Browns think he has lost speed | Pro Football Talk

Last year Hunt averaged a career-low 3.8 yards per carry and a career-low 6.0 yards per catch, so the numbers would seem to confirm the sense that Hunt doesn’t have the big-play speed he had earlier in his career.

Hunt is 27, which might not seem old, but running backs don’t age well. Hunt’s best days may be behind him.

It’s been a rough year to be a free agent running back, as NFL teams are increasingly concluding that they can get just as much production from young running backs on cheap contracts as they can from veteran free agents. Hunt joins Jerick McKinnon, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, J.D. McKissic, Mark Ingram and other well-known veteran running backs who aren’t generating much interest.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Draft Darlings: Jonathan Mingo is worth the hype

How he fits with the Chiefs

In Kansas City, Mingo will be a perfect X-receiver. Head coach Andy Reid loves his these kinds of wideouts to have versatility and vertical speed — and Mingo provides both. He could also easily rotate into the slot to serve as a blocker — just as former Chiefs receiver Sammy Watkins did. When he was healthy, Watkins made a living on vertical routes and intermediate routes over the middle of the field. Mingo can run those immediately.

Mingo should even be a an even better vertical receiver than Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Mingo’s route tree is already beyond what the veteran can do — so over the long term, Mingo would be an ideal replacement for him.

The bottom line

Most college offenses don’t have NFL route trees, which make college receivers hard to evaluate. Mingo is no different. Ole Miss hasn’t had the quarterback talent to run that kind of offense, which has hurt Mingo’s productivity.

Still, there are very few receivers I love more than Mingo.

In the NFL, he can be a dominant X-receiver. He has the ability to beat press and run vertical and intermediate routes. As he’s given more responsibility, he’ll be able to do way more in the NFL than he was allowed to do in college.

Even if he fails as an X-receiver, Mingo is a good blocker. He could be a de facto tight end, using his frame and physicality to add to any running game.

For the Chiefs, Mingo is the exact high-ceiling bet I’d make at wide receiver. I admit it: I’m higher on him than most others. But I feel he’s going to explode in the NFL.

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