Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones.
With one preseason game remaining for the Kansas City Chiefs, All-Pro defensive tackle is still holding out for a new contract. But he has now made it known how long he’s willing to sit out until he receives a new deal.
Taking to Twitter — which was recently rebranded to “X” — to respond to a fan, Jones made it clear he’s willing to hold out until Week 8 of the regular season.
@ShaunBurki Week 8
When Arrowhead Live responded to Jones by writing, “That’s a hefty tab,” Jones replied, “I can afford it.”
@ArrowheadLive I can afford it
Chris Jones, Chiefs at Stalemate in Contract Talks
The floor for Chris Jones’ contract demands have been known for several months now, since The Athletic’s Nate Taylor reported on March 2 that Jones wants to be “at least” the second-highest-paid player at his position.
Taylor also reported on July 23 that Jones was seeking an extension that pays him $30 million annually.
On August 10, Taylor revealed the line the Chiefs have drawn in terms of how much they are willing to pay their All-Pro defender.
“The Chiefs, according to a league source, are unwilling to make Jones the league’s highest-paid defensive tackle,” Taylor wrote. “The franchise, which has played in three of the last four Super Bowls, winning two, doesn’t have a single player who is the league’s highest paid at his position.”
The highest-paid defensive interior lineman in the NFL based on average annual salary is Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald at $31.6 million per year, according to Over the Cap. The New York Jets’ Quinnen Williams is the highest paid at that position based on total contract value ($96 million) and total guarantees ($66 million).
Would Chris Jones be Ready for Week 1?
Even if Chris Jones were to report to training camp this week, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo explained to the media on August 22 that he likely wouldn’t be ready to take on a full workload in Week 1 of the regular season despite it being a couple of weeks away.
“I don’t think Chris is any different than any other player that misses the entire camp and then has to play,” Spagnuolo said during his press conference. “It’s tough. I mean, you certainly can’t expect that particular person as good as Chris to play every down, and then you worry about injuries, the body ready. Chris always keeps himself in good shape, but football shape is different. So hopefully, we can get him back right, and then when that happens, we just have to figure out how to go about it.”
Though there’s still a chance between now and the regular season that the Chiefs and Chris Jones agree to a new deal, there’s one thing that’s becoming clear:
The defending Super Bowl champions won’t have the best version — or potentially any version at all — of Chris Jones when they face the Detroit Lions in the regular season opener on September 7.
That’s certainly not ideal for a team that’s trying to come hot out of the gates fresh off of a Super Bowl victory.
As it currently stands, Kansas City’s defensive tackle room consists of Tershawn Wharton, Derrick Nnadi, Keondre Coburn, Danny Shelton, Phil Hoskins, Matt Dickerson, and Chris Williams.