Chris Jones, the superstar Defensive End of the Kansas City Chiefs, started his NFL stint in 2016 with a $6,230,000 rookie contract. Soon after that, the DE had candidly revealed how his family battled through tough times in order to reach where they are today.
Advertisement
Chris, in a video shared on Kansas City Chiefs’ YouTube channel in 2017, just a year after he signed his rookie contract, had revealed that his father went to prison when he was just in fifth grade. At that time, it was his mom and grandmother who handled everything.
Chris Jones’ Humble Beginnings
While Chris Jones might be stacking up the money now, one should know that this was not the case during his budding days. His father had to spend time in prison which meant his mother had a lot of responsibilities. That was truly a tough period for Jones. In the 2017 video, Chris showed the house where at one point eleven people used to cramp up under the same roof.
“My dad was held up in prison when I was like in the fourth grade and my mom she was like supporting three kids,” Chris states in the video. “We had to wake up like at seven o’clock when my mom get off and we had to drive till school in Nettleton which is like a 45-minute ride.”
Chris also claimed that his grandmother was a massive support to his entire family. “We’d drive from there(Nettleton) and come to Houston and live at my grandmother’s house. This went on for like two or three years,” he stated. Needless to say, the value instilled by Grandma in young Chris made him a true family man that is now loved across Kansas City. However, his stint with the Chiefs might come to a sorry end, if his current contract standoff ends with no favorable conclusion.
Chris Jones is Ready to Sit Out Till Week 8 as Contract Standoff Continues
There have been a lot of negotiations around Chris Jones’ new contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, wherein the defensive end is reportedly asking for a staggering $30,000,000 paycheck. But talks have not proceeded in favor of Jones and he recently said that he is willing to sit out till Week 8. In addition to this, he posted a picture on Twitter with the caption – “If it’s out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind also.”
Moreover Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also said that he was surprised that Jones has held out for such a long duration. However he added that he respected his decision and said that he wasn’t ‘looking down’ on Jones. “I don’t think anyone expected him not to be here now(at Chiefs camp), but that’s part of the contract negotiation stuff. I’m not looking down on him for anything like that. He has stuff that he’s tried to get done that he feels like he needs to, to get done right now. I respect his decision,” he said.
Chris Jones recorded 15.5 sacks and 29 quarterback hits in 17 games during his 2022 season and is a pivotal part of the Chiefs’ unit. If contract negotiations fail, Kansas City would play without one of their biggest stars in 2023.
