Unlike Kelce, Chiefs’ Jones not talking retirement

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chris Jones heard his Kansas City Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce recently talk about the end of his playing career being in sight and he cringed. Jones said there are no thoughts of retirement for him.

“Once you begin to think about things like that, you’re getting to feed the mind those types of thoughts,” Jones said. “I don’t even want my mind to even go that far to the R word.”

Jones, who turns 30 next month, is almost five years younger than Kelce. He signed a new five-year contract with the Chiefs in March and suggested with his comments he intended to play through the end of the deal. He even urged Kelce to consider it.

“He’s got like four or five more years and what is he talking about, right?” Jones said. “We can’t let TK go. It’s like we retire, we’ve got to retire together. Give me at least six, four years, then we’ll talk about it.”

Jones said he has many motivations this season. He said he would like to be a part of the first NFL team to win three straight championships in the Super Bowl era, as the Chiefs have a chance to do. He also recently tweeted that a personal goal for the season is to get at least 20 sacks. His career high is 15.5, which he accomplished twice, most recently in 2022.

“It’s tough as hell but I’m going to do it,” Jones said.

Asked what it would take to reach 20 sacks, Jones said, “Everything. God, luck, some unselfish teammates and Sack Nation,” the latter being his nickname for a Chiefs pass rush that finished second in the league with 57 sacks last season.