Chiefs' Chris Jones Outlines Clear Goal for 2026 NFL Season

The Kansas City Chiefs missed the postseason for the first time since 2014 last year, finishing the regular season with a disappointing 6-11 record.

One major issue for the Chiefs was their pass rush, which ranked near the bottom of the NFL in sacks with 35 on the year. For reference, Kansas City recorded 57 sacks on their way to their most recent Super Bowl victory in 2023.

The Chiefs’ pass rush is led by superstar defensive tackle Chris Jones, who’s seen a dip in his typical sack production over the last couple seasons.

Jones recorded 15.5 sacks in 2022 and 10.5 sacks in 2023. Over the past two seasons, he has 12 total.

"We've got to get more sacks," Jones said at minicamp on Wednesday, via Pete Sweeney of The Kansas City Star. "Last year, we [finished] at the bottom [in] sacks, and I think it affected the defense tremendously. And if we want this defense to be a success - [under defensive line coach] Joe Cullen - I gotta get more sacks."

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Jones, a seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time First Team All-Pro selection, hopes to use this lack of recent success as motivation heading into the 2026 NFL season.

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"Last year, we didn't have the year we wanted as a team, and especially individually, as me," Jones added, via Sweeney. "We can use that as motivation. We can use it as something we can linger on to and build off of in training camp.

"This year I plan to start high and go higher - so definitely that, going into training camp, we can use it as some fuel."

Jones and the Chiefs will begin their 2026 NFL regular-season schedule with a Week 1 matchup against the division-rival Denver Broncos on Sep. 14.

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 2:58 PM.