Chris Jones is on top of the NFL world right now. Not only did he just add a third Super Bowl ring to his collection, but he's also set to hit free agency as the consensus top talent on the open market.

There should be no shortage of suitors for Jones this spring, even if his services will cost a pretty penny. With a franchise tag value of over $33 million likely to prohibit the Kansas City Chiefs from exercising that option, Jones should get to test the open market and looks poised to break several records when he signs his next deal.

Jones will be in the running for the largest total contract value, the highest average annual value and the most guaranteed dollars for a defensive player in NFL history.

Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News is projecting Jones will ink a four-year, $140 million contract with $100 million or more in guaranteed money. Pro Football Focus (h/t SI.com) predicts a slightly more team-friendly deal, but one that will still ring up at $120 million over the next four seasons.

Jones' play warrants those eye-popping figures. He's recorded an incredible 67 sacks over the past six seasons, anchoring a Chiefs defensive front that has been a perennial Super Bowl contender during that span. While he'll soon be on the wrong side of 30, he's shown no signs of slowing down and is coming off a campaign in which he secured the third-highest sack total of his illustrious career.

With that in mind, here are five of the top potential landing spots for Jones following his impending foray into free agency.

All cap space and contract information cited is courtesy of Spotrac

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals have been the lone AFC team able to stand in the Kansas City Chiefs' way over the past half-decade, besting them in the 2022 conference title game and halting what could have become a record-setting five consecutive Super Bowl berths. While Cincinnati fell short in an epic AFC Championship Game rematch the following year and missed the playoffs entirely this past season, the franchise could be back with a vengeance in 2024.

Coming to terms with a generational defensive talent like Chris Jones would not only greatly assist the Bengals in their quest to win the organization's first ever Lombardi Trophy, but it would also significantly hinder their most significant in-conference threat.

Jones has been a driving force behind all three of the Chiefs' titles over the past four years, including in 2022 when he recorded a playoff career-high two sacks—one of which was a heroic takedown of Joe Burrow in the waning moments of the fourth quarter that directly led to Kansas City's game-winning drive—to help guide his side back into the Super Bowl.

Jones' ability to both play at a consistently high level during the long grind of a regular season and come up clutch in huge playoff moments makes him an ideal target for a Bengals team that currently lacks an impact defensive tackle.

While edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson had a special 2023 campaign—one in which he notched 17.5 sacks—none of Cincinnati's interior defensive linemen breeched the five-sack mark this past season. Jones would be a massive upgrade at that spot, allowing the Bengals to generate pressure both on the edge and through the middle.

Given Cincinnati has a projected $61.4 million in cap space heading into the offseason, there's a real chance the team could put a blockbuster deal on the table for Jones. While the front office has some tough decisions to make regarding the future of standout free agents such as wideout Tee Higgins and offensive tackle Jonah Williams, Cincy's brass should be willing to do whatever it takes to pry Jones away from Kansas City.

Detroit Lions

After coming up painfully short in their first NFC Championship Game appearance in over three decades, the Detroit Lions are entering the 2024 offseason with a chance to retool and come back stronger than ever. Signing a superstar like Chris Jones could be exactly what this squad needs to get over the hump and into the Super Bowl.

Considering the Lions let the San Francisco 49ers rally from a 17-point halftime deficit and score 27 unanswered points in that heartbreaking conference title game, Detroit's brass should be highly interested in acquiring a player who was instrumental in limiting that same offense to a mere 22 points during an overtime Super Bowl contest.

While his services will be pricy, there is no question that Jones would have a tremendous impact on Detroit's ability to both get after opposing quarterbacks and shut down the run. The five-time Pro Bowler would make an especially excellent partner for 2022's No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, who has started his career red-hot with 21 sacks over his first two seasons. Hutchinson has managed to hit these lofty marks despite middling support from his teammates, with Alim McNeill (five sacks) being the only other Lion to record more than three sacks last season.

Cap space appears to be on Detroit's side this spring, as the team has an estimated $48 million in available finances. While some of this money will be used to shore up the offensive line (both starting guards are set to hit free agency) and the secondary (the cornerback and safety positions could each see some major overhauls) there should be enough left in the bank to make a market-value offer to Jones.

Detroit made some strides in 2023 after ranking in the bottom three for total and scoring defense the prior year, but the Lions still finished in the bottom half of the league in both categories. Jones anchored a Kansas City unit that ranked No. 2 in both yards and points allowed this past season and could help the Lions reach a similar level if he opts to sign in the Motor City.

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are a team on the rise thanks to a promising, youthful core on both sides of the ball. No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. has Houston well-positioned to generate pressure for years to come, but the edge-rusher won't be able to take the next step without some support. This lineup lacks an established talent who can anchor the interior of the defensive line and take the heat off Anderson.

Only four Texans notched five or more sacks in 2023, and two of them are now set to become free agents this spring. With both Sheldon Rankins and Jonathan Greenard (who led Houston with 12.5 sacks last season) potentially on their way out, the Texans can't afford to come away from the offseason empty-handed. Acquiring an impact defensive lineman capable of constant disruption in the opposing backfield should be atop the front office's to-do list.

Jones could be exactly who the Texans need to plug that hole while elevating their defense to the next level.

Both Maliek Collins and Rankins fared decently well under first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and the new system he installed, but neither defensive tackle scored above a 70.0 PFF grade in 2023. Jones earned a highly impressive 84.1 grade for his work in Kansas City this past season, marking the seventh consecutive year he's tallied up an 82.8 score or better.

While Jones could start to decline toward the end of his next contract, his impact in Houston won't be entirely through his on-field contributions. He's still generating value there—evidenced by the herculean 26 sacks and 85 pressures he's tallied since the start of 2022—but the championship pedigree and leadership he'll bring to the locker room could be even more beneficial to this young roster.

Kansas City Chiefs

No team understands the value that Chris Jones brings to the table more than the Kansas City Chiefs. He's been a cornerstone of the franchise's success since it drafted him with the No. 37 overall pick in 2016, emerging as a bona fide star by his third year—a 15.5-sack 2018 season that coincided with the first of the team's six consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances.

While the two parties couldn't reach a long-term extension when Jones hit the open market last year, the Chiefs did eventually convince Jones to stay for one more year by putting a $19.5 million contract offer on the table following a lengthy holdout.

The move paid off when Kansas City became the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions since the 2004-05 New England Patriots. It now remains to be seen if the Chiefs can find a way to keep their best defensive talent around for a run at history.

That rare opportunity appears to be at the forefront of Jones' post-Super Bowl thoughts, according to A to Z Sports' Justin Churchill:

With Jones obviously intrigued by the idea of remaining in Kansas City, the trickiest part of retaining him will be clearing the financial hurdles. The Chiefs have $23.8 million in projected salary cap space to start the 2024 offseason, but nearly half the active roster is poised to hit the open market.

If Jones does stay, it's unlikely he'll cash in the type of a record-breaking deal he could potentially garner from a rival organization. Assuming he's willing to cut his incumbent employer a discount—perhaps an extension in the neighborhood $110 million over the next four seasons—there's a realistic chance he could remain around Arrowhead Stadium for the foreseeable future.

Las Vegas Raiders

After watching Chris Jones lift the Lombardi Trophy inside their home Allegiant Stadium, the Las Vegas Raiders may be dreaming of a day where the defensive tackle helps their franchise win its first Super Bowl since 1983. Being able to poach the superstar away from a fierce AFC West rival would be icing on the cake for a club that desperately needs some help in the defensive trenches.

The two-time All-Pro fueled speculation that he could end up wearing silver and black next season during the lead-up to the Super Bowl. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore, Jones gushed about his stay in Nevada this past week:

The Raiders may already have one of the game's best sack artists on their roster in Maxx Crosby, but the edge-rusher isn't receiving too much support from his teammates. While Malcolm Koonce may be taking a leap after the defensive end recorded eight sacks in his breakout third season, the interior of the defensive line looks suspect.

Adam Butler was the lone Vegas defensive tackle to reach the five-sack mark in 2023, while Jerry Tillery was the only other interior defensive lineman to even notch two sacks on the year.

Jones would be a massive upgrade in the teeth of the Raiders defense. His ability to command constant attention from opposing offensive linemen would free up Crosby—coming off a career-high 14.5-sack campaign—to wreak even more havoc in the backfield. Factor in the potential emergence of Tyree Wilson, the promising edge who was Vegas' first-round draft choice this past season, and this could become one of the NFL's most formidable fronts as early as 2024.