In news that shouldn’t surprise too many people, defensive tackle Chris Jones is not expected to play in Week 1 of the 2023 season. The reigning First-Team All-Pro is holding out for a new contract, and that holdout is not going to end any time soon. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jones will not be at today’s practice and the two sides are reportedly “not close” to coming to terms on a new contract.
#Chiefs star DT Chris Jones, who is still holding out, isn’t present and won’t be at today’s practice — considered a Wednesday practice of game week — with the two sides not close on a deal, sources say.
KC opens the season Thursday against the #Lions.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 3, 2023
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Chris Jones Unlikely to Play Week 1, “Not Close” On Contract Talks
You never want to see a star player miss a practice, but this report is especially damning for Kansas City. As reigning Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs kick off Week 1 on Thursday Night Football, and they will almost certainly be doing it without Chris Jones. Even if Jones came back today, he’d only have two days to knock off the rust and get back on the football field. Now that we know Jones won’t be practicing today, it’s hard to imagine any scenario where he’s on the field against the Detroit Lions.
Without Jones, the Kansas City Chiefs defense could be in trouble. Even though they won the Super Bowl last year, the defense wasn’t anything to write home about. The unit finished the year ranked 15th in EPA/play allowed, and that was with a world-wrecking force in the middle of their defensive line. Kansas City invested a first-round pick in edge defender Felix Anudike-Uzomah, but it’s unfair to expect a rookie to replace Chris Jones in Week 1 of the regular season.
Ultimately, the Chiefs are always going to go as far as Patrick Mahomes can carry them, but losing Jones will likely turn a decent defense into a bad one. There is a very real chance that every single game will become a shootout for as long as Chris Jones isn’t on the field. The only question is, when will he return, and who will blink first?
The Contract
Based on reports across the league, we actually have a pretty good idea of what Chris Jones wants in his revised contract. The former second-round pick is not trying to get Aaron Donald money but instead would be happy with around $28 million per year. The Chiefs, meanwhile, are offering $24.67 million per season. This doesn’t appear to be a wide gap, but neither side is willing to budge from their current offer. The fact that Rapoport said that the two sides are “not close” implies that the player and team are done talking to each other for the foreseeable future.
There is a chance that Kansas City’s defense falls apart without Chris Jones in Week 1 and Brett Veach gives in to Jones’ demands. However, if Kansas City holds strong, we know that Jones will be back on the field before the end of the season. The defensive tackle previously tweeted out that he will be back by Week 8, and that he’s ok with paying the additional fines incurred from his holdout. Only time will tell if the Chiefs will actually have to wait this long, but this could be trouble for a Chiefs team playing in a remarkably competitive conference and division.
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