The Kansas City Chiefs may not have wanted to enter the 2023 NFL season under a cloud of controversy, but recent events around of the team’s core players is making fans a little nervous as the champs prepare to begin their title defense.
Kansas City‘s season begins in two weeks’ time with a Thursday night matchup against the upstart Detroit Lions, but it is far from certain whether Chris Jones will be there for the opening kickoff. Jones is currently staying away from Chiefs training camp while he discusses a new contract with the franchise — which he wants to pay him top dollar to continue providing his All-Pro services to its defense.
Jones racking up hefty fines
Per NFL rules, Jones is being fined $50,000 for each day of training camp that he does not attend without a valid excuse. His fines have already exceeded the $1 million mark, although that is only a fraction of the salary he has reportedly requested from Kansas City — around $30 million per year.
“There’s been no communication, so I don’t know what’s going to go there. Whatever happens, happens, and if he’s not there, the game goes on, right? That’s how it works,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. “There’s just been no communication.”
Jones has previously implied he is willing to sit out until Week 8 of the 2023 season, which would seriously harm a Kansas City defense that relies on his talents.
Mahomes knows Jones’ value
Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he understood where Jones — his teammate on two Super Bowl-winning teams — is coming from, and he fully trusts the seven-year veteran is keeping himself in shape while his contractual situation gets sorted out.
However, Mahomes did express surprise, if not concern, that the 29-year-old has been away from his teammates for this long, referring to him as a “vital” member of Kansas City‘s championship core.
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