It appeared that the Las Vegas Raiders had the Chandler Jones situation under control after he deleted on September 5 a number of profanity-laced Instagram Stories in which he said he did not want to play for the team if general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels remained in their positions.
However, Jones did not attend practice the following day and was back to posting on social media.
His first post — on X, formerly Twitter — was benign: “God is good, all the time,” with a praying emoji.
But it didn’t take long for him to address his relationship with the Raiders. On Instagram, in a posted since deleted but screenshotted and shared on X, Jones shared a picture of a badge belonging to a member of the Las Vegas Crisis Response Team, claiming that the Raiders sent her because he was “in danger.”
He then posted an ominous video in which he said that TMZ reached out to him and that he had unspecified pictures and text messages that he could share, referencing McDaniels and Ziegler with a laugh.
And now a video:
Jones also posted what appeared to be a text message conversation with McDaniels in which the coach asks the defensive end to “please be available if Dave or I or anyone else from the organization reaches out.” Jones accused the coach of talking to him like he was an “item.” He also threatened to share more videos if he wasn’t allowed to play September 10 against the Denver Broncos.
More from Chandler Jones IG
Las Vegas Raiders Mum on What Happened With Chandler Jones
McDaniels told reporters on September 6 that he would offer details on the relationship between the team and Jones.
“It’s a personal situation and a private matter,” McDaniels said. “We have dealt with it, and I am not going to talk about it.”
Team captains Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams were also mum on the situation, which seemingly evolved from Jones’ not having access to the team’s gym.
Highly Unlikely Chandler Jones Plays in Week 1
McDaniels was not scheduled to meet with the media on September 7, saying a day earlier that “the Raiders are ‘taking it one day at a time’ regarding Jones’ status with the team,” according to CBS Sports.
As of Thursday, September 7, the Raiders had not announced whether Jones would play in the season opener against the Broncos, though Jones did note in his Instagram Stories that he wanted to play.
According to Vincent Bonsignore of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, the future of Jones on the Raiders could be in doubt.
“As far as the Raiders’ options, everything appears on the table, including releasing Jones outright,” Bonsignore wrote in a September 7 story. “Given the nature and content of the posts, a reconciliation seems doubtful. If that’s the case, the Raiders could try to trade him and at least recoup some compensation.”
Jones, 33, is coming off his worst full season as a pro. He had only 4.5 sacks but was motivated for a bounce-back year and was slated to start opposite Maxx Crosby.
He signed a three-year, $51 million deal in 2022.
According to Bonsignore, “The Raiders have already paid the bulk of the $17 million Jones was owed this year, so any team that traded for him would only be on the hook for his $1.65 million base salary.”
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Chandler Jones Sends First Message Since Controversy