Chris Jones flat-out disrespected in NFL trade value rankings, not that Chiefs would ever

In the NFL, there are some players who you just don't trade. Patrick Mahomes, obviously, is the most untouchable player in the NFL, given the fact that he's the best player at the most valuable position in all of sports. Other high-end quarterbacks like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow also fit into that list. They're not Mahomes, but they're young high-end quarterbacks.

The list of untouchable players does extend past the high-end quarterbacks, but that list is small. There are a select few players who are so impactful to the point where they're simply impossible to move.

Sheil Kapadia of The Ringer listed the 75 players with the most trade value and put them into 16 different tiers. Tier 1 consists of Mahomes and Mahomes only. Tier 2 consists of the next group of elite quarterbacks. Eventually, when looking through the tiers, you'll see Chris Jones' name appear far too low. That should have Kansas City Chiefs fans up in arms.

Chris Jones might be underrated after seeing his NFL trade value ranking

Last season, we saw just how valuable Chris Jones is. He was holding out for an extension to the point where he wound up missing Kansas City's Week 1 game. After falling in that game to the Detroit Lions, the Chiefs gave Jones his money. The rest, as people say, was history.

Jones was the best player on one of the best defenses in the NFL last season. Sure, the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, but do they really win the Super Bowl without their defense being as elite as it was from start to finish that entire season?

Jones appeared in 16 games last regular season, putting up 10.5 sacks, making the Pro Bowl, and being a first-team All-Pro member too. He then anchored a defense that did not allow more than 24 points in any of their playoff games on his way to winning another Super Bowl.

Despite the fact that Jones is only 30 years old, relatively young for his position, and locked in on reasonable terms through the 2028 campaign, he's in Tier 7 of these rankings. For a player as dominant as Jones is, that feels quite low.

Obviously, Jones should not be in any of the quarterback tiers. He's extremely impactful, but not as much as an elite quarterback. He should, however, be in Tier 4, the tier Kapadia dubs "The Completely Untouchable Non-QBs." That feels right for a player as valuable as Jones is.

When looking at the Chiefs roster, obviously Mahomes is the most untouchable, but would Jones not be second? Sure, Travis Kelce is great and has the Mahomes chemistry, but he's also 34 years old and showed signs of regression last season. He doesn't have too many years left of elite football. They have other elite younger players like Trent McDuffie and Creed Humphrey, but they're nowhere near as established as Jones.

If you're the second-most valuable player on the team that has won back-to-back Super Bowls only behind the quarterback, chances are, you should be higher up on this list. He's not as young as the others on this tier, but he's only two years older than Myles Garrett who is at the front of the tier.

He's arguably the best defensive tackle in the NFL now with Aaron Donald retired, is on a tradable contract, and isn't old. With how impactful he has been and will continue to be while he's under contract, there's no reason for Jones to not be ranked higher than he is. The Chiefs wouldn't ever consider trading him anyway, obviously, but he should be valued higher if they for whatever reason did consider it.