We’re just over six months removed from when Chris Jones helped the Kansas City Chiefs secure a victory in Super Bowl 57. As coach Andy Reid, QB Patrick Mahomes and co. prepare to defend their crown as the best team in the NFL, they still don’t know when or whether Jones will join them on the field.
The All-Pro defensive tackle is holding out while seeking a new contract from the Chiefs as he heads into the final year of his contract. Right now, Jones has a cap hit of $28.2 million for the 2023 season. He’s set to earn $20 million in cash this season.
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Jones’ issue with the Chiefs isn’t due to his salary for the upcoming season. It’s because he has no long-term financial security after the 2023 league year ends. Jones, like many other stars, would prefer not to have to worry about securing a new contract next year when he’ll be 30 years old.
Yet, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler indicates, it could be a while before the Chiefs mend fences with their best defensive player.
“I talked to somebody with the team who said it feels like this is going to drag on even longer, maybe even into the season. The Chiefs certainly don’t want that but neither side appears ready to move on contract talks.”
Jeremy Fowler on Chris Jones, Chiefs discussions
For now, Jones can be fined for holding out from team activities. As of this past Sunday, those fines reached $1.8 million. But as Albert Breer points out, Tuesday’s roster cut deadline presents an even bigger risk for Jones, but not because he’s at any risk of being dropped from the team.
NFL players must report to the team five days before the official end of the preseason (which is somehow Tuesday) before forcing organizations to use a roster exemption that allows them to withhold game checks from Jones for each matchup he misses.
Jones, if he does not report by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, will revert to the reserve/did not report list. If Jones shows up afterward, the Chiefs can file for a two-game roster exemption that allows him to be on the roster without factoring into the 53-man player limit.
Meanwhile, if Jones does not report by Tuesday, the Chiefs have the option of refusing to pay the pass-rusher. In other words, if he sits out two games while preparing for action, the Chiefs can keep two game checks (total of $2.2 million) in addition to the fines Jones has already incurred.
All of this is to say, keep an eye out on Jones possibly reporting to the team soon, knowing that if he waits until after Tuesday, the process gets a lot more complicated for both him and the Chiefs. Yet, just because he may be set to lose more leverage, it doesn’t mean Jones is any closer to making an appearance, based on Fowler’s report from earlier.
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