Defensive tackle Chris Jones is back on the practice field with his Chiefs teammates following a lengthy holdout that resulted in four-time Pro Bowler missing OTAs, training camp, preseason, and the first game of the regular season. On Monday, the Chiefs front office finally came to an agreement with the two-time Super Bowl champ and no longer have to stress about missing one of their best defensive playmakers.
On Wednesday, Jones spoke to the media and talked about his missed time and dismissed any rumors of a rift between him and the Chiefs organization.
“I think reporters and fans kind of misdrew the contract thing. It’s never personal.” said Jones, “I don’t think I’ve started hating [Head] Coach [Andy] Reid or disliking [General Manager Brett] Veach. I love Veach, you know. He knows I love him. We had on-and-off conversations throughout it all. Coach Reid, I love him too, with him still calling (and) texting. We actually have a group text.”
“Veach said that I retweeted a picture where it said ‘Chris Jones after season (compared to), Chris Jones offseason’ where I was big with no neck, and we actually had a little joke about that through the midst of it, so I don’t think our relationship was affected any by that, they know how much I love this organization, they know how much I love this team. I don’t think that (the holdout) affected any part of our relationship.”
While there may not have been a rift with the team itself, Jones’ holdout definitely rubbed many in Chiefs Kingdom the wrong way.
“One thing about the fans in Kansas City: they’re very personable,” Jones described. “The Chiefs mean everything to them. Some are going to disagree, some are going to agree, and some will just respect it. I hope we can come to terms where I’m back, and they can have a little understanding with me. I hope they’re as excited as I am to get back.”
Chiefs signed Jones to a new contract worth up to $25M, with a base salary of $19.5M. He’s still scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent next spring. Jones was asked about the possibility of signing an extension sometime during the 2023 regular season. But Jones confirmed that’s not on his mind right now.
“That’s a conversation for after the season,” said Jones. “I wouldn’t want to go back and forth during this season. My focus right now is on being the best ‘me’ I can be for this team [and] for this defense; being the best player on this defense [and] being the best player in the league. Anything less than that would be a disappointment.”
Having Jones back in the lineup means the team can now put their focus on putting a string of wins together after starting the 2023 campaign on a disappointing note. Jones accounted for 15.5 sacks last season and will look to pad his stats some more before contract talks ramp back up next spring.
