NFL Reporter ‘Would Rather’ Chiefs Sign 5-Time Pro Bowler Over Chris Jones

NFL Reporter ‘Would Rather’ Chiefs Sign 5-Time Pro Bowler Over Chris Jones

With NFL free agency just around the corner, the Kansas City Chiefs’ takes are getting a little wild.

During a February 20 episode of ESPN’s Get Up, NFL writer Jeff Darlington remarked that he “would rather [wide receiver] Mike Evans on [the Chiefs] offense than Chris Jones on [their] defense.”

“This is a team that redefined themselves from one year to the next, right?” Darlington explained.

“We witnessed them flip flop. They won the Super Bowl as an attacking club two years ago and again as a defensive squad this year.”

“I also know that they achieved it without Tyreek Hill,” he said, concluding, “They have to put weapons around [Patrick] Mahomes.

They cannot fall into the trap of believing that they can win Super Bowls without using weapons year after year.

Jeff Darlington Rebuts Chiefs’ Comments About Mike Evans and Chris Jones on X

After ESPN Get Up posted the video footage on X, Darlington responded by partially retracting his words.

“I was baited by Mike [Tannenbaum]. 😂,” he clarified. “The Chiefs should sign BOTH players—and they can find a way.

But I believe wide receiver should remain the top focus this offseason, especially if they can’t reach a long-term agreement with Jones.

Even that’s a stretch. No insult to one of football’s most dependable pass catchers,

but Jones is a three-time Super Bowl champion and perhaps the most significant member of the Chiefs’ defensive squad.

Kansas City has already shown that they can win without an outstanding big-name wide receiver twice, thanks to Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and head coach Andy Reid, among others. Can the same be said for Jones?

Remember, there are no Mahomes or Kelce to help fill the vacuum on defense without the key game-changer, so keeping him could be more important than any offensive addition.

On the February 19 broadcast of ESPN’s Get Up, NFL insider Dan Graziano replied that Jones should be second only to Mahomes among the Chiefs.

“I think he’s their second most important player, honestly, after the quarterback,” Graziano said of Jones, adding that a three-peat is unlikely without the defensive tackle.

“I just don’t know how you can watch what they did in the Super Bowl and not understand the significance and the impact he had,” a source told me.

Continuing, he said: “I don’t think it’s understating it to say he is their pass rush.”

Graziano also stated that cornerback L’Jarius Sneed is more easily replaceable than Jones due to younger CBs such as Trent McDuffie,

Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, and others who are already growing well inside the organization.

Mike Evans Would Be An Excellent Fit for the Chiefs Alongside Patrick Mahomes.

Now, assuming Jones has already been extended, few Chiefs fans would argue against signing Evans as a supplemental component.

Over the Cap currently believes that Kansas City has a little more than $15 million in available cap space, with the ability to free up more.

And who wouldn’t want to pair a 10-time 1,000-yard WR with Mahomes if the front office can afford to do so?

A formula for signing Evans would most likely include releasing Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Justin Watson,

which would free up a combined $13.97 million, restructuring Mahomes’ contract (which may free up another $37 million),

and allowing Sneed to depart in free agency.

All of this might free up the necessary space to sign Jones and Evans to new lucrative contracts,

provided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar reaches the open market.

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