Chris Jones still not with Chiefs: ‘There’s been no communication,’ Andy Reid says
The Kansas City Chiefs completed their 22nd full-squad practice Wednesday, and for the 22nd time, they did so without star defensive tackle Chris Jones.
A timeline for his return also appears to be getting murkier. Entering the last year of his contract, Jones has been holding out while hoping to land a long-term contract extension with the team.
In a string of social media posts Tuesday, Jones also indicated he might be OK missing regular-season games.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid was questioned about that possibility Wednesday and asked whether he expected to start the season without Jones.
“There’s been no communication, so I don’t know what’s gonna go (on) there,” Reid said. “But whatever happens, happens. If you’re not there, the game goes on, right? So that’s how it works.”
Reid said there wasn’t a way for him to get personally involved in the process at this point. Now, it’s up to Jones’ agents and Chiefs general manager Brett Veach to talk things out.
“They’ve got to communicate and do their thing,” Reid said. “There’s just been no communication.”
While replying Tuesday to a fan on social media about when he would report to the Chiefs, Jones responded, “Week 8.” Another account suggested that would lead to a hefty amount of fines, to which Jones replied, “I can afford it.”
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was asked whether he expected to start the 2023 season without Jones.
“No, not necessarily,” Mahomes said. “I know that contract stuff’s hard to talk about, because everybody wants to make money for their entire family and everything like that. But I know how much Chris loves the Chiefs. He loves being a part of this organization.
“And so I just try to stay out of it and just tell Chris that I love him, and that whenever he does come back, that he’ll be welcomed with open arms.”
The deadline to show up if Jones wants to contribute in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions is likely coming soon.
Though Mahomes reiterated in his communication with Jones that the defensive lineman has been staying in shape, there’s still a ramping-up period that needs to take place before playing in an NFL game. Jones will need to get into what Reid calls “football shape” while preparing his body with some practice contact ahead of regular-season contests.
The Chiefs’ timeline is shorter than most other teams: KC kicks off in the NFL’s opening game on Thursday, Sept. 7 against the Detroit Lions at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Mahomes admitted Wednesday that Jones’ holdout had gone longer than he’d envisioned, saying, “I don’t think anyone expected him not to be here now.”
“But that’s part of the contract-negotiation stuff,” Mahomes said. “So I’m not looking down on him for anything like that. He has stuff that he’s trying to get done that he feels like he needs to get done right now, and so I respect his decision.”
Jones was the Chiefs’ unquestioned top defensive player in 2022, registering 15 1/2 sacks and earning first-team All-Pro status. Earlier this month, on Aug. 7, Veach told The Star that the team had not changed its stance on wanting to sign Jones to a long-term deal.
“He’s a great player, and he wants a big contract. He deserves a big contract, and I don’t think there’s any surprises in that regard,” Veach told The Star on Aug. 7. “But there’s just some hurdles we have to work through in regards to how we can keep this thing going for the short- and long-term. But we’ve never wavered on, ‘This is a guy that we want to exhaust all of our efforts to get done,’ because that’s how much we think of him.”
Mahomes was clear with his thoughts about Jones’ value Wednesday, twice calling him a “once-in-a-lifetime-type of player” in his talk with reporters.
The quarterback also said he had stayed in contact with Jones recently, reporting that the defensive lineman remained in good spirits.
“It doesn’t hurt his relationship with any of us. We respect his decision,” Mahomes said of the holdout. “But at the same time, whenever he comes back, we’ll welcome him with open arms and know that he’s gonna be a pivotal teammate to help us try to make a run at the Super Bowl again.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 12:20 PM.
