Following a turbulent week that included an arrest on Friday, defensive end Chandler Jones will be released by the Las Vegas Raiders, according to an ESPN report Saturday.
Jones was charged with two counts related to violating a domestic protective order and placed into a Clark County, Nev., detention center on Friday. He reportedly posted bond later than night and is due back in court Dec. 4.
Jones said Monday that he was released that day from a court-ordered mental-health hold, after he was taken against his will and injected with an unspecified drug. On Thursday, he posted a live stream on social media in which he touched on everything from government secrets to ISIS and seemed to blame Raiders coach Josh McDaniels for the death of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez.
McDaniels previously was the offensive coordinator of the Patriots.
Hernandez was found dead in his jail cell in 2017, serving a life sentence after his 2015 conviction for first-degree murder in the death of his friend, Odin Lloyd. The death of Hernandez was ruled a suicide.
Jones, a two-time All-Pro, has yet to play for the Raiders this season. He was placed on the non-football illness list amid an alleged clash with McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler.
The team issued a statement Friday afternoon.
“The Raiders are hopeful that Chandler Jones receives the care that he needs,” said the statement, posted to social media. “He, his family and all those involved are in our thoughts. As this is now a legal matter, we will not be providing further comment.”
The Raiders put Jones on the NFI list after Jones’ rants on social media, since deleted, that said he didn’t “wanna play for the Raiders if that’s my HC or GM.” He said he was prevented from going to the team facility.
“It’s a shame that I am a top athlete with 112 sacks in the NFL and I have to go to a local gym to work out during the season for no apparent reason this is wild to me Josh and you know it you need to do what’s right,” Jones also posted, part of an apparent text string with McDaniels.
Two days later, Sept. 7, Jones posted to Instagram that the team sent a crisis team representative to his house and she said the player was “in danger.” Those posts, too, were later deleted.
Jones signed a three-year, $51 million deal with Las Vegas as a free agent in March 2022. He restructured his contract in April to lower his base salary to $1.165 million this season by converting some of the money due to a bonus.
Jones recorded 38 tackles, 4.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries in 15 games (all starts) last season, his first with the Raiders. His signature moment with Las Vegas came in Week 15 when he grabbed a New England Patriots lateral in the closing seconds and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown to give the Raiders an unlikely 30-24 victory.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Jones has 511 tackles, 112 sacks and 13 fumble recoveries — including two returned for touchdowns — in 154 career games (151 starts) with the Patriots (2012-15), Arizona Cardinals (2016-21) and Raiders.
Jones was a first-round draft pick (21st overall) by the Patriots in 2012 out of Syracuse.
–Field Level Media