KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Frank Clark and Chris Jones have been a widely successful pairing both on and off the field.
While both had solid individual success statistically before joining Kansas City, neither was quite recognized by the NFL for their success.
While achieving multiple double-digit sack seasons, Clark hadn’t been selected to a Pro Bowl appearance during his time with the Seattle Seahawks. Even though Jones earned a second-team Associated Press All-Pro team honor in 2019, he also didn’t achieve a Pro Bowl selection.
But things changed when the duo was paired up on the defensive line beginning in the 2019 season. Since then, the duo has a combined seven Pro Bowl appearances and racked up 159 quarterback hits, 64.5 sacks and 12 forced fumbles in four years together.
Clark was recognized with three consecutive Pro Bowl selections before that streak ended this past season. Jones achieved four consecutive Pro Bowl appearances and became a regular on the AP All-Pro Team, making the second-team in 2020 and 2021 before finally making first-team this season.
There are plenty of reasons why Jones was able to finally break that wall, from the Chiefs hiring Joe Cullen as the team’s defensive line coach, who hit it off immediately with Jones, to Jones’s offseason routine, in which he outlined the purpose of it was to get his first playoff sack.
Jones accomplished that goal in the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals, breaking a 13-game playoff sack drought.
Is it a coincidence that Jones started to become a household name at the same time Clark arrived in Kansas City?
In the words of Leroy Jethro Gibbs from "NCIS": “There is no such thing as coincidence.”
Jones recognizes that without Clark he wouldn't have achieved the success he has had now.
"I think we bounce off of each other," Jones said, "We have very good chemistry. We've been around each other quite a while. I'm fortunate to have someone like Frank in the room."
The success has also created a bond between the two that many teammates recognize.
Teammates were asked by the media Wednesday who would make a great podcast and a familiar duo came out from the mouths of plenty of Chiefs players: Clark and Jones.
“Jones and Clark would definitely have the best podcast if they were allowed to have one,” Patrick Mahomes said Wednesday.
Both players talked about how a future podcast would cover a little bit of everything, from sports to life, real-world politics and their hobbies.
“Frank (Clark) is a huge car guy, he probably implements cars in there,” Jones said. “I’m a huge wrestling fan, we probably talk about WWE. It would be all around.”
The duo is so closely knitted they share similar things like driving the same type of car.
“We both drive a Rolls Royce,” Clark said. “He has a red one while I have a sunset orange one.”
Clark told a story about how both their Rolls Royces broke down on the side of the road before practice one day and they had to call a coach to come to get them.
“Coach was like, ‘How the hell a Rolls Royce break down?’” Clark said. “We were sitting on the side of the road like, ‘Hey, coach, can you come get us?'”
Clark believes his relationship with Jones comes from their very similar backgrounds.
“We both have the same types of family,” Clark said. “Our dads are the same, we go through the same types of problems. It’s funny as hell.”
—
