Report: Chris Jones didn't report to training camp, 'far apart' from Chiefs on new deal
Kansas City Chiefs star Chris Jones didn’t report to training camp with the rest of the team on Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. He’s pushing to receive a new deal, but Schefter reported the two sides are “far apart.”
Jones is gearing up for the final year of a four-year contract he signed in 2020 after the Chiefs used the franchise tag. Last season was the best of his career as he totaled 44 tackles and he tied his career high with 15.5 sacks. He was a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award as result, finishing third in voting behind Micah Parsons and eventual winner Nick Bosa.
The Chiefs selected Jones in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State, where he started all 13 games as a junior. Since entering the NFL, Jones has made four Pro Bowls and got his first All-Pro selection last season. He’s set to make $19.5 million this year, according to Spotrac.
More on the negotiations between Chris Jones and the Kansas City Chiefs
The hope was Kansas City would be able to get a deal done in time for camp, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported earlier this month. One of the issues the Chiefs are facing is the salary cap, and their limited space could make an extension harder to orchestrate.
“The Chiefs would like to give him that long-term extension,” Darlington said. “I’m told that they are still optimistic that this will get done — likely before training camp — for Chris Jones. And this is significant for a number of reasons, not just the contract itself. The Chiefs right now are just barely below the salary cap, one of the highest salary caps right now in the league. If they can do that deal with Jones, they can ultimately bring this number down.”
Jones also skipped mandatory minicamp, subjecting himself to fines of almost $100,000 since he’s still under contract.
“That’s his choice. He chose not to be here,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters last month as minicamp ended. “But I’m sure he’ll be at training camp.” Reid then hedged some, adding “I wish I could predict it. I think there’s a chance, a chance he’s not. We’ll see.”
General manager Brett Veach also talked about Jones’ contract situation during an event celebrating their Super Bowl victory and pointed to the team’s relationship with its star defender.
“Listen, we have a long history together and we have a great relationship with his agent,” Veach said. “I mean, these things usually get worked out right before [or] right during the first start of camp so we anticipate the same, and we’ll see how it goes.”
On3’s Suzanne Halliburton contributed to this report.