What are Chris Jones’ chances of being inducted into the Hall of Fame?

The Kansas City Chiefs have won three Super Bowls in the last five seasons. Every player on those teams deserves credit, but there were three key players that made up that Chiefs dynasty. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce may get more of the spotlight, but Chris Jones is definitely worth seeing his name right next to them.

At this point, you can safely make room for busts of Mahomes, Kelce and head coach Andy Reid in Canton, Ohio, but what are the odds that Chris Jones’ bust will be there next to them? Jones was the star of Kansas City’s defense in all three Super Bowls. He is a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro. In his eight seasons, he has totaled 75.5 sacks (that’s 9.4 sacks per season) and he is now under contract in KC through 2028.

So what needs to happen for Jones to be in the Hall of Fame? I thought the best way to answer that question would be to look at some of the defensive tackles in the Hall of Fame to see how their numbers compare. Let’s start with an old-school legend.

Page would be undersized as a defensive tackle by today’s standards, but he was a monster on the interior of the Minnesota Vikings in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Page has 148.5 sacks in his career (9.9 sacks per season). He made the Pro Bowl nine times, was a five-time First Team All-Pro, and was even the NFL MVP in 1971. He won one Super Bowl.

Randle is another former Viking who was the most dominant defensive tackle of the 1990s. He had 137.5 sacks in 14 career seasons (9.8 sacks per season). He was a seven-time Pro Bowler and six-time First Team All-Pro. He never won a Super Bowl.

Randy White is another old-school defensive tackle who would be below average by today’s standards. He had 111 sacks in 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (7.9 sacks per season). He was a nine-time Pro Bowler and seven-time First Team All-Pro. He won one Super Bowl.

Alex Karras was a star defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions in the 1960s. He is credited with 100 sacks in 12 seasons (8.3 sacks per season). He made the Pro Bowl four times and was selected to the First Team All-Pro three times. He was also an actor, playing the father in the television series Webster and Mongo in Blazing Saddles. He never won a Super Bowl.

Sapp is probably a good comparison to Chris Jones. He played in the modern NFL and was best known as a pass rusher. In 13 seasons he recorded 96.5 sacks (7.4 sacks per season). He made the Pro Bowl seven times, was a four-time First Team All-Pro and was Defensive Player of the Year in 1999. He won one Super Bowl.

While Cortez Kennedy may not have as many career sacks as the other Hall of Fame defensive tackles on this list, he was a dominant all-around player for the Seattle Seahawks. He had 58 sacks in 11 seasons (5.3 sacks per season). He went to eight Pro Bowls, was a three-time First Team All-Pro and was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1992. He never won a Super Bowl.

Bryant Young was a great all-around defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers. He had 89.5 sacks in 14 seasons (6.4 sacks per season). He made the Pro Bowl four times, was a First Team All-Pro once, and won the Super Bowl once.

Chris Jones currently ranks behind only Page and Randle with 9.4 sacks per season, but the likelihood that he can maintain that level until the end of his career is extremely slim. The question is how high he can keep that number until the end of his career.

If he can total 100 sacks (5 sacks per season over 5 years would be enough) or keep that number of sacks per season above seven, he has a good chance of being inducted. Jones could also add a few more Pro Bowls and another First Team All-Pro to his resume. Combine those things with his postseason success and I think he’s a surefire candidate for the Hall of Fame.

Another factor could be the numbers of soon-to-be Hall of Famers like Aaron Donald and JJ Watt. Both have averaged more sacks per season than Jones currently does (though Watt has played more DE than Jones) and each has been a three-time Defensive Player of the Year (something Jones has never accomplished). Could these guys be setting the bar too high for Jones?

So what do you think? Is Chris Jones on track to be inducted into the Hall of Fame? How much longer does he have to maintain his current level of play to be inducted? Does his average run defense mean he needs to at least match Warren Sapp’s career 96.5 sacks to be inducted? That would require just 4.5 sacks per season over the next five seasons. I think that’s incredibly likely, and I’m convinced that the spotlight KC’s postseason success has shone on his play will earn him a spot in Canton alongside Mahomes, Kelce, and Reid.

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