Chiefs DT Chris Jones begins camp hold-out

A former second-round pick out of Mississippi State, Jones set himself up beautifully coming out of his rookie deal by delivering two strong seasons in 2018 and 2019. 

Kansas City resorted to a franchise tag before eventually agreeing to extend Jones on a four-year, $80M contract. Once again, the Chiefs began exploring the option of an extension early in the offseason this year. Jones hasn’t made it any easier for the team as, once again, he’s delivered one of the best performances of his career the season before a contract year.

In the years since Jones’s second contract, the defensive tackle market has markedly improved. In anticipation of an eventual negotiation, Jones skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp, costing himself approximately $100K in fines. 

At that point, it became clear that Jones was willing to pay to make his point, but a hold-out of training camp still seemed a long way away, considering the options limited by the 2020 CBA. The most drastic measure expected at the time was a potential hold-in, wherein Jones would attend training camp but not participate to his full ability.

Jones’s expectations weren’t unrealistic. Despite being ranked as the best, he wasn’t necessarily seeking to out-earn Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Donald’s contract is leaps and bounds ahead of the next-closest competition, so Jones sought to, at least, become the league’s second highest-paid defensive tackle. 

An interview with general manager Brett Veach made it sound like conversations were going well, indicating that things would likely get done “right before (or) right during the first start of camp,” a sentiment echoed by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington who thought it “likely” that the two sides would reach an agreement before camp.

Apparently, Jones agrees with the “start of camp” as a time to get things done. Holding out of training camp shows just how serious Jones is about not playing out the last year of his contract. According to Field Yates of ESPN, each day that Jones misses will leave him subject to almost $50K of fines.

Perhaps, if the Chiefs and Jones were closer in their negotiations, Jones wouldn’t be taking such drastic measures, but a camp hold-out truly emphasizes how far apart the two sides are. If Jones is going to incur daily fines, he’s going to expect a deal that makes those fines inconsequential.