Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones is rightfully holding out for a new contract, as he’s arguably the best defensive tackle in the NFL but is not being paid as such.
But the way he is handling his contract holdout this summer is being criticized by former NFL player and media pundit Ross Tucker, who believes Jones should be taking a different approach to demand his payday.
“I don’t think this is the best move for Chris Jones,” Tucker said on the Ross Tucker Podcast on July 24. “I think he would be much better off if he reported to the Chiefs and then held in for a couple of different reasons, right? Number one — you know, if you’re holding out, the first day (of training camp) they’ll (the reporters) ask everyone about it. They’ll ask all the players about it and whatever. But then it’s like — there’s no news after that. If you’re there every day, the cameras are showing you, they’re interviewing you, you can talk about how you’re unhappy, how you want to be treated fairly, you can get interviewed every day. It’s a lot more of a distraction to the franchise if you’re holding in, you’re there but you’re not practicing.
“And then the second thing is, why would you want to give the team $50,000 a day? Why would you want to give up that? And I’ve seen write, ‘Well, he’ll make up for that with his new contract.’ Whatever they’re gonna give you in your new contract that you’re negotiating, that’s what they’re gonna give you anyway. So why take any money out of your pocket by giving them $50,000 a day when instead you could report, hold in, and incur none of those fines? It doesn’t make any sense to me at all what Chris Jones is doing.”
“It doesn’t make any sense to me at all what Chris Jones is doing.”
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Chris Jones Doesn’t Want to Be Distraction to Chiefs
Though Ross Tucker’s strategy would be a more effective way for Chris Jones to get paid sooner rather than later, there might be a simple reason as to why Jones decided to hold out: He doesn’t want to be a distraction to his teammates and coaches.
Jones, who has said publicly this offseason that he wants to retire as a member of the Chiefs, might not want his teammates and coaches to have to answer questions about him while he awaits a new contract. Instead, he might want them to focus on winning another championship this season. So, holding out of training camp removes the distraction element of Jones’ holdout by keeping him away from the facility.
Doing it this way might put a dent in Jones’ wallet, but it is the more team-friendly approach to demanding more money.
Twitter Reacts to Ross Tucker’s Comments
Users on Twitter — which has recently been rebranded to “X” — reacted to Ross Tucker’s criticism of Chris Jones.
“So you want him to report to camp to disrupt team building by being a distraction so he can get his way? Sounds more like he knows being there would be a distraction and as a team guy he is staying out of the way,” one Twitter user wrote.
@RossTuckerPod @LabattUSA So you want him to report to camp to disrupt team building by being a distraction so he can get his way?
Sounds more like he knows being there would be a distraction and as a team guy he is staying out of the way.
“I agree. CJ showing up puts even more pressure on the Chiefs to get the deal done,” another user wrote. “The media will have access to him and knowing the Chiefs are not a franchise that likes distractions at all, the idea of CJ answering those questions honestly would be a massive distraction.”
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Pundit Blasts Chiefs’ Chris Jones for Handling of Contract Holdout