Here’s what Chiefs’ Reid, Hunt said about Chris Jones’ early training camp holdout
The wording change was subtle — but also significant.
When Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid stepped to the microphone following Sunday’s first full-squad practice, his tone was modified when discussing defensive tackle Chris Jones’ situation.
Last Tuesday, when camp opened for rookies and quarterbacks, Reid said there had been “communication going on” between the Chiefs and Jones’ representatives. “That’s the important part,” Reid said then.
Some five days later — after Jones didn’t show up for the team’s first full-squad practice as part of a holdout — Reid’s description of the matter shifted.
“We’ll just see how things go here down the road. There had been communication. We’ll see where it goes from here, and we’ll take it,” Reid said Sunday. “If you’re not here, we just keep moving. That’s how we roll.”
A quick summary of how things got to this point: Jones, 29, was the Chiefs’ unquestioned top defensive player in 2022, registering 15 1/2 sacks and earning first-team All-Pro status. He’s in the last year of his current contract, hoping to cash in on a long-term, lucrative deal.
Which leads us to this week. According to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, a player under contract with unexcused late reporting or absence from preseason training camp is subject to a mandatory fine of $50,000 per day.
Jones is choosing that route at the moment — and Reid admitted Sunday that he was “a bit surprised” that Jones decided not to report.
Regarding the talking back and forth between the two sides, Reid relayed that it had “been good up to just a bit ago.” That, though, has pivoted in the last few days.
“They’re doing their thing. We’re doing our thing,” Reid said. “We’ll just see where it goes from there.”
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, when asked about Jones, said he wasn’t directly involved with negotiations; that was the job of general manager Brett Veach and his staff.
That didn’t stop Hunt from speaking about his fondness for Jones, who has won two Super Bowls with KC.
“We love Chris, and when he decides to report, we’ll welcome him,” Hunt said. “I don’t want to get into speculating on when that’ll happen or if it will happen.”
Jones’ path in 2023 is a departure from how he handled his previous contract negotiations with the Chiefs.
When nearing the end of his rookie deal in 2019, Jones sat out mandatory minicamp before eventually reporting to the start of training camp. After that season, the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Jones before the two sides reached their current four-year agreement in July 2020.
Jones sat out last month’s mandatory minicamp while waiting on his new deal, and according to the NFL’s CBA, that resulted in a maximum fine of $98,753. He also missed the team’s ring ceremony for its Super Bowl LVII victory, though he later said on social media that he didn’t attend because he was sick.
Where the two sides might still land in negotiations remains an open question even after the New York Jets’ Quinnen Williams agreed to his recent extension for $24 million per year, which included $66 million guaranteed. There remains a significant pay gap between the NFL’s second-highest-paid defensive tackle Williams ($24 million per year) and the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald at No. 1 ($31.7 million) — the potential range where a Jones extension might make sense.
Jones has previously shared his affection for the Chiefs. That included a social media post in March responding to a fan, as Jones was asked if an extension was coming soon. “I’m a chief for life,” Jones tweeted on March 12. “I will not play for another franchise.”
On Sunday, Jones’ teammates echoed Reid’s message of progressing in practices without him.
Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton lauded Jones for his ability to change a game and be a defensive leader.
“But again, at the same time, we’re working with the guys we got here. We’re gonna come in every single day, put our efforts forward,” Bolton said. “And when he gets here, I want to make sure everybody’s up to speed and competes with him.”
Chiefs safety Justin Reid called Jones an “excellent player” but also said his absence allowed younger guys to put additional reps on practice tape. Former Kansas player Daniel Wise primarily filled in for Jones’ spot on the D-line in Sunday’s drills.
Justin Reid said he had not spoken with Jones lately, but that wasn’t a concern.
“He’s a professional. Let him do his thing,” Justin Reid said. “I’m focused on the guys here, taking care of the DB room, making sure that our young guys are ready to play.”
Andy Reid said Sunday he didn’t know if Jones might attend camp before an extension had been reached.
For now, though, the coach said he would focus only on what was in his control.
“We don’t worry a lot about that,” Reid said of the negotiation. “We let it take care of itself, and we’ve got great people working on that.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2023 at 1:35 PM.
