Why Chiefs GM isn’t sweating contract dispute with DT Chris Jones

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told reporters at the beginning of the offseason that lining up a new contract for All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones was at the top of his to-do list.

Months later, Jones didn’t have a new contract in hand, so he did not report to the Chiefs mandatory minicamp last week. And while his star DT is holding out, Veach told reporters at last week’s championship ring ceremony that he’s not worried about Jones’ absence or being able to lock the four-time Pro Bowler up long-term.

"We have great communication and there's a lot of time before camp," Veach said, via Sports Radio 810. "[I] feel good about where we're going to be with Chris. We'll get to celebrate tonight and have a good time, break tomorrow, and I'm sure we'll have great dialogue from now to the start of training camp and look forward to Chris being here not just for next year, but for a long time."

Jones, who’s in the final season of a four-year, $80M deal that he signed in 2020, wasn’t at the Chiefs’ ring ceremony; however, he later clarified it was because he was sick and not because of his holdout. He's totaled 7.5 or more sacks each of the last five seasons, including a 15.5-sack season in 2022 in which he racked up 97 pressures, 63 hurries and 17 QB hits, per Pro Football Focus.