Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year finalist Chris Jones and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs find themselves mired in a major contract stalemate roughly two weeks until they open the regular season against the Detroit Lions.
Jones, 29, is currently playing under a four-year, $80 million contract and is set to hit free agency after the 2023 campaign.
As was the case throughout the offseason, Jones has been active on social media recently talking about the contract issue. He took to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday to indicate that he’s willing to hold out until Week 8. “I can afford it,” Jones posted when a user indicated that it would be a hefty fine.
In Jones’ case, holding out until Week 8 would cost him a whopping $7.7 million. He’s slated to be fined $1.1 million for each regular-season game the star defensive tackle holds out. He’s also racked up well north of $1 million in fines for holding out this summer.
Related: Chris Jones and the NFL’s top-100 players of 2023
Chris Jones stats (2022): 44 tackles (17 for loss), 29 QB hits, 15.5 sacks
Jones has proven himself to be right up there with Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams as the best interior pass rusher in the NFL. He’s just not getting paid like it. While Donald is the highest-paid defender in the NFL at $31.67 million annually, Jones is getting paid a mere $20 million on a per-year basis.
It has him as the eighth highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL after a plethora of players at his position were paid at elite clips during the offseason.
It was noted earlier in August that the Chiefs had offered Jones a sizable long-term contract.
“Chris Jones, holding out. The Chiefs have made a big offer, obviously not big enough. We’ll see how close he gets to Aaron Donald money…I don’t know if he’s shooting to be above Aaron Donald, but that’s the kind of ballpark.”
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on Chris Jones’ contract offer
Jones is the Chiefs’ best defensive player. He’s been a major component in the team winning two of the past three Super Bowl titles. With games coming up against the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears and New York Jets to open the season, it’s vital Kansas City gets something done on this front.