The Kansas City Chiefs are facing perhaps their first major problem this season. Their star defensive lineman Chris Jones is holding out from attending practice, demanding a new contract extension. While this in itself is a headache for the Cheifs organization, their main man Patrick Mahomes may have made it a bit worse by throwing his weight behind his defensive teammate.
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Jones has been an integral and instrumental part of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl winning season last year. He ended the season with 15.5 sacks, equalling his career record, and giving the Chiefs’ defense a boost in performance. Incredibly, he also scored points for his team, after he scored a safety this season.
Patrick Mahomes stands with Chris Jones in his quest for an extension
Chris Jones missed the entirety of the Chiefs’ minicamp, much to the dismay of the coaching staff. It seems Patrick Mahomes is not shying away from standing with his teammates. Mahomes spoke to reporters after the minicamp concluded on Thursday, giving his support to Jones in what is a critical point for the Chiefs.
“It’s part of the business,” Mahomes said. “I think Chris knows that we love him here, he’s been a part of this team for a long time. He’s one of the main reasons that we’ve had the success that we’ve had. He’s been that leader on the defense, made a lot of big plays, and it seems like in the biggest moments, and you want those guys in your team”.
#Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Chris Jones. pic.twitter.com/vUrHqjpooA
— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) June 15, 2023
“I’m sure Chris is working, and he knows the defense that he needs to do,” Mahomes added. “And the hope is that everything’s good by training camp and we’re able to come in and just roll and that’s just part of it. And that’s what makes this team … so great is whenever guys that have to go handle their business, we let them handle it when they jump back in the building, and we get back to right where we left off.”
Jones is in the last year of his 4-year, $80 million contract. He is currently the 8th highest-paid defensive tackle in the league, a statistic he will surely want to improve. Though, it seems this holdout may not last very long, as Chiefs’ General Manager Brett Veaach seems very hopeful about negotiating with Chris Jones.
The Chiefs will want Jones to return as soon as possible
Having your main defensive player miss minicamp is not something any team would want. Especially the Chiefs, who are entering this season with hopes of defending their title. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is apparently confident that Jones will return. Reportedly, he even told Jones to “‘Make sure you’re in shape'” before the net camp.
The Chiefs’ morale is in no way hitting rock bottom with this issue. The recent ring ceremony gave everyone a rather opportunistic, welcome distraction from the holdout. The diamond-studded ring will surely help remind both the Chiefs and Jones about what is at stake here. Will Jones successfully plead his case and sign an extension?
