Chris Jones Makes Surprising Admission After Chiefs'...

By Rowan Fisher-ShottonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

The Kansas City Chiefs sit 6-9 (third in the AFC West) entering Week 17 of the NFL season and will not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

The disappointing campaign was marked by uneven play and major injuries, most notably Patrick Mahomes’ season-ending left-knee ACL/LCL tear in Week 15.

On Tuesday, the Chiefs revealed another significant development, announcing an agreement with the State of Kansas to build a state-of-the-art, fixed-roof stadium in Wyandotte County, slated to open for the 2031 season.

Asked about that time frame, Kansas City's star defensive tackle Chris Jones said plainly, "That’s 2031. How many years away is that? Yeah, I won’t be playing then, man. I hope I have a seat somewhere in a suite wherever they're planning to build this thing."

Drafted in the second round (No. 37 overall) in 2016 out of Mississippi State, Jones has been the Chiefs’ premier interior defensive force, earning seven Pro Bowl selections, three first-team All-Pro honors, and three second-team All-Pro nods.

A key contributor to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl titles in 2019, 2022, and 2023, Jones has recorded 84.5 career sacks, one of the highest totals all-time for a defensive tackle.

Through the 2025 regular season, Jones has logged 24 total tackles (12 solo) and 4.0 sacks, remaining one of the interior line’s highest-impact players despite raw sack totals being down from his peak years.

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Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.

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The Kansas plan centers on a roughly $3 billion domed stadium and mixed-use district, supported by state STAR-bond financing and a public–private structure.

However, with a planned opening in 2031, Jones—31 years old and born July 3, 1994—would be 37 by the time the new stadium opens, an age at which most NFL interior linemen are retired or nearing the end of their careers.

The move marks a major franchise pivot, with aging core players like Jones, a sidelined Mahomes, and a new home collectively redefining the Chiefs’ next era.

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