Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones spoke to the media for the first time since striking a one-year deal with the Chiefs on September 11 and officially putting an end to his contract holdout.
During his press conference, Jones was asked if he was happy with his one-year deal, which pays him a base salary of $19.5 million and up to $25 million in incentives, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
“Absolutely. I chose my representation, like, years ago,” Jones said about his agents, the Katz Brothers. “I kind of made that decision to not come to [training] camp. I didn’t want to be a distraction by holding in. I’m super pleased with how it turned out. I’m back in the building, I’m excited to be back. Thankful for the organization. They [were] able to boost my salary up to make up for the fines and everything. I’m super grateful for that.”
Jones wasn’t able to land a multi-year deal with the defending Super Bowl champions, meaning he will be a free agent once his contract expires in 2024.
But don’t expect Jones to forecast what’s to come past the 2023 season.
“I can’t look forward to next year,” Jones said when asked if he expected to be with the Chiefs after 2023. “Right now we’re focused on — I’m glad to be back this year — this is my last year. Hopefully, we can work something out after the year long-term.”
Jones reiterated that he wants to remain a Chief for life, and his thoughts on that haven’t changed despite his recent holdout.
Chris Jones Doesn’t Know How Much He’ll Play in Week 2
With Chris Jones back with the Chiefs at the start of Week 2 preparation, there’s a strong chance he will play in their away game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. “I don’t know, we’ll have to see Sunday,” Jones said.
When asked if he feels he’s in football shape, Jones said while laughing, “I don’t know. … We’ll find out today [at practice].”
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid also spoke about Jones during his September 13 presser, saying he expected to take it day-by-day with the star defender before determining his involvement in Sunday’s game plan.
“I’m going to see how he is today,” Reid said. “We’ll just see. Chris is a good player. Having him back in is an important part of it. I’m glad he’s back.”
Twitter Reacts to Chris Jones’ Comments
Users on Twitter — which was recently rebranded to X — reacted to Chris Jones’ comments about his future with the Chiefs after signing a one-year deal.
“Actions speak far louder than words. Jones can say all he wants that he wants to be a Chief his entire career, but the actions he and/or his agents have taken the last 6 months have spoken to the contrary,” one user wrote.
“He sounded [100] in and definitely had regrets of situation my take away he was beyond poorly represented in contract negotiations by the duntz brothers and pray he gets new representation,” another user wrote.
