Chiefs star has ‘special rule’ vs. Mahomes in practice. There’s a good reason why
Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was ready to reveal a secret — and defensive end Chris Jones, a few steps away, wasn’t expecting it.
Spagnuolo was asked about Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes following Wednesday’s training camp practice when he went off on a tangent. Mahomes is known for extending plays, which helps test the Chiefs’ defense.
Then again ... there are times when Spagnuolo wishes Mahomes wasn’t quite so elusive in drills.
And that’s especially the case when it comes to the All-Pro Jones.
“We’ve got a special rule for Chris on that,” Spagnuolo said with a smile.
Spagnuolo and Jones then started bantering with each other in front of reporters while reminiscing about a specific incident.
It turns out, there was a particularly competitive moment in a previous year’s practice when Jones decided he was going to give his all while chasing down Mahomes.
The result of that? A pulled groin for Jones.
“I was like, ‘You know what, Pat? You got it,’” Jones shared Wednesday with a laugh. “Spags had a one-on-one with me, pulled me aside.”
Jones wasn’t expecting to tell this story Wednesday in the media tent on the team’s practice field at Missouri Western. He joked that he didn’t know Spagnuolo was “going to tell all my business, but he’s known for that.”
The bottom line, though, is that the injury led to a modification in Chiefs practices.
Now, whenever Jones beats the offensive lineman in front of him in practice ... well, he’s told to shut it down.
“I can’t chase Patrick, because Patrick does some crazy stuff behind the line of scrimmage at times,” Jones said. “It gets very competitive out there, because you can’t touch the quarterback, so the quarterback can extend and hold the ball for like five or six seconds after the play.”
Easing back has had to become part of Jones’ reality, though. And that’s especially been the case with Spagnuolo paying close attention.
“I tell him,” Spagnuolo said, “not to chase him too much.”
Mahomes and Jones are both future Hall of Famers, so it makes sense that each would be looking to challenge the other during drills.
Jones, however, says he’d had to become more strategic in his pursuit.
Thanks to Spagnuolo’s words on Wednesday, the public now knows the potential risk for Jones if he decides to take things too far against Mahomes.
“I wanted it to stay low-key,” Jones said with a grin, “but it’s out there.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 2:10 PM.
