Chris Jones has become the second Kansas City Chiefs superstar to turn down a Pro Bowl invitation this year, following a similar decision by Travis Kelce just days earlier. While Kelce’s opt-out came with an alternate trip already on the calendar, Jones’ choice cuts closer to a long-held stance, and his latest decision only reiterates that.

“Chiefs DT Chris Jones has opted out of the Pro Bowl,” Farzin Vousoughian reported on X. “He’s been voted to 7 Pro Bowls but has never participated in any of them. The NFL did not pick a replacement for Jones.”

If you had been following Jones closely, you would’ve already seen it coming. In fact, by December, he had already dropped hints.

 While he appreciated the recognition, he also explained that events like the Pro Bowl have never been his thing. For one of football’s most dominant interior defenders, success has always been about Lombardi Trophies, not weekend showcases away from Arrowhead Stadium.

“None of it really matters. I play to win rings, man… it’s never been my goal to make Pro Bowls,” Jones said while speaking to the press.

That perspective is backed up by how his Pro Bowl history has actually unfolded. Jones has now been selected to seven Pro Bowls across his career, from 2019 through 2025, yet he has never taken part in the event itself. The reasons have varied by year, but the pattern has remained consistent. In 2019, his selection coincided with the Chiefs’ run to Super Bowl LIV, ruling out any Pro Bowl appearance. In 2021, an injury kept him sidelined despite the nod. Other seasons offered no public explanation, but the result was the same: Jones did not participate.

At the same time, Jones has seen how shaky the selection process can be. Despite regularly ranking among the league’s sack leaders at his position, recognition has not always followed. He even recalled a season with 15.5 sacks that somehow went unnoticed by voters, a reference to 2018 that only strengthened his belief that impact and honors do not always align.

However, things have changed since then, with selections having followed him each year. Even in 2025, although he did not post his flashiest numbers, he remained crucial to the Chiefs’ defense; maybe that’s why getting noticed this year, too. In 17 games, he recorded 15 solo tackles, 14 assists, and 7.0 sacks, proving his influence went far beyond the stat sheet.

With Chris Jones choosing not to participate, attention naturally shifted to the remaining names representing the Chiefs: Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith.

The Chiefs got two more Pro Bowl recognitions

While the overall results fell short of expectations in the 2025 season, individual excellence still broke through the noise for the Chiefs. In total, four players earned Pro Bowl nods, even as frustration lingered around Arrowhead Stadium.

Creed Humphrey’s selection carried extra meaning. He earned his first Pro Bowl nod, while Trey Smith picked up his second straight honor.

Selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Humphrey stepped into the lineup immediately and never looked back. By the time 2025 arrived, durability and clean technique already defined his game. Once again, he started every regular-season contest for the fifth year in a row.

Humphrey’s Pro Bowl nod was just one piece of a much larger list of honors. For the second year in a row, he earned First Team All-Pro recognition. It’s an especially rare feat for a centre and certainly a strong reflection of the respect he commands around the league.

He’s also a finalist for the league’s first-ever Protector of the Year Award, an honor designed to spotlight elite offensive linemen whose impact often flies under the radar.

On the other hand, Smith matched that dependability in his own way. During the 2025 campaign, he started all 19 games and controlled the right side of the line with authority.

After confirming Smith’s spot earlier, the team announced Humphrey’s selection to the AFC squad, marking the first Pro Bowl appearance of his career. Even as Chris Jones and Travis Kelce had to step back, Kansas City still walked away with meaningful recognition.