Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones came into Sunday’s game one sack away from cashing in on a $1.25 million bonus, and everyone knew it. That was obvious from the reaction when he managed to hit his mark.
Jones sacked Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Easton Stick in the third quarter of Sunday’s game, taking him to 10.5 sacks on the season. He needed to get to at least 10 to earn the bonus. As soon as he’d done it, he celebrated wildly, and the Chiefs sideline was so excited for him that the whole thing turned into quite the party.
CHRIS JONES GETS HIS BONUS! The whole @Chiefs sideline was HYPED for him.
📺: #KCvsLAC on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/X0vcyHUoyR pic.twitter.com/lrapGgskaZ— NFL (@NFL) January 7, 2024
We have seen teams script plays to make sure players hit contract bonuses, but there was nothing the Chiefs could do here except hope Jones got an opportunity. He had missed a few chances to bring down Stick earlier in the game, so this had to be a big relief for him.
Jones’ season actually started with a contract dispute, so this is a pretty cool way for him to end it. He’ll have the chance to collect more sacks in the playoffs, albeit without the big financial incentives.
