Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were both rested for Kansas’ regular season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chiefs opted to sit their superstar duo with the AFC West wrapped up, but Chris Jones still had skin in the game.
The Pro Bowl defensive lineman stood to win a $1.25m bonus if he could complete his 10th sack of the season against quarterback Easton Stick and his 5-11 Chargers.
Jones only need 0.5 sack to pocket the six-figure incentive but the veteran Chief had to wait until the third quarter to get his hands on Stick.
On his 31st pass rush of the game, Jones recorded the sack needed to trigger the $1.25m incentive in his contract.
The all-important play sparked wild celebrations at Arrowhead.
Mahomes, who was on the sideline to cheer on his teammates, joined a number of Chiefs stars in storming the pitch to congratulate Jones.
Jones sprinted down the field, high-fiving teammates as he went before falling to the ground in relief.
The 29-year-old was hugged on the sideline by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and head coach Andy Reid after the sack.
Jones’ season started with a contract holdout as he sought a large long-term deal.
He eventually reported on a new one-year deal after missing the first game of the season.
Before Sunday’s game even started, Jones had already hit his benchmarks for 35% and 50% of snaps played, earning him a combined $2m.
The 10th sack gets him to $3.25M total in incentives earned, but he has some work to do if he wants to make another jump.
He’s missed out on a $500,000 incentive for 15 sacks, as well as a $2m bonus for a Defensive Player of the Year award and a Super Bowl win.
It’s still possible he earns $1m for a first-team All-Pro berth and a Super Bowl appearance, although that will take some serious work by player and team alike.
