Chris Jones Doubles Down on DPOY, Explains How He Can Help Teammates

With one training camp practice in the books, Jones is looking ahead to times of adversity and how he can help the Chiefs overcome them.

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) is pressured by Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) in the second half in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs are back in full force at training camp, taking the field at Missouri Western State University on Sunday morning for practice. The back-to-back reigning champions put on a show in St. Joseph, Missouri in front of thousands of excited fans.

Energy and vibes were high with full-team camp returning, especially with stars like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones leading the way. The pillars of the organization are currently setting the tone ahead of the regular season, one that marks the start of a three-peat pursuit.

For Jones, it's his first camp since 2022. His goals remain the exact same, though. The All-Pro defensive tackle is shooting for the league's Defensive Player of the Year award once again, and a new contract isn't changing that.

"I think my mind frame is always to be the best I can be," Jones said. "I strive for DPOY every year. It's a commitment to myself that I make, and also challenging myself to make my teammates better. I think no matter how much the money is, how much money I'm making, how much money I get, my morals never change in football. I play football because I love the game, not for anything else."

Jones believes that if he's at his personal best, it can rub off on everyone else.

"That means I'm doing my part on this team," Jones said. "That I'm being the best player I can be for this team, for this organization and also challenging my teammates to be better. I think that's my overall goal here, and I think we're going to continue to improve on that."

Last offseason was a vastly different one for Jones. Coming off the best season of his career and still being in his prime, he wanted a lucrative extension from the only NFL franchise he'd ever known. A lengthy holdout carried through training camp and into the regular season, resulting in him missing Week 1's game only to return on a reworked one-year deal ahead of Week 2. Jones played out the season not knowing what the future held, winning another Super Bowl in the process.

In March, Jones re-signed on a hefty multi-year contract that will keep him in Kansas City through the rest of his best seasons. Since then, the offseason routine has been a return to normal for the 30-year-old. With a new payday on the docket, he still wants football's premier defensive award and wants 20 sacks in 2024 to go along with it.

Right now, Jones is happy to be back with everyone for the start of camp. He knows that far more trying times are ahead but with great leadership in place, the Chiefs' championship DNA will help them through it. Jones hopes to be a part of that solution.

"I think we feed off each other," Jones said. "Like I was telling the D-line, adversity is going to come. The first day, everybody's excited [and] everybody's full of energy. Two weeks in, when we've had a couple of padded days of practice, we start looking around for energy, so I think we're able to feed off each other. For me, I just try to stay consistent with who I am and my attitude every day. I know we're going to face a little bit of adversity but for me, it's just staying consistent. If that's giving energy to the guys, then that's what I'm here for."

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