Chiefs’ Andy Reid worries about the health of Chris Jones as his holdout continues
As he continues a holdout for a more lucrative contract, Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones is being fined $50,000 a day, according to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
This is the language in the CBA: “For the avoidance of doubt, any such fines shall be mandatory, and shall not be reduced in amount or waived by the Club, in whole or in part, but must be paid by the player or deducted by the Club as provided in Section 5(b) of this Article. ... (P)reseason training camp shall be defined as the period beginning with the mandatory reporting date for any player through the Sunday immediately preceding the first game of the NFL regular season.”
That accrued fine amount is roughly $1 million at the moment and could reach more than $2 million by the time the season begins on Sept. 7.
The amount of money Jones will be losing is not what concerns Chiefs coach Andy Reid the most. There could be another negative effect of Jones holding out.
While interviewed Tuesday on SiriusXM’s NFL Training Camp Tour with Alex Marvez and Charles Davis, Reid was asked about Jones.
Reid is about to start his 25th season as an NFL head coach and was an assistant for the Green Bay Packers for seven seasons. Jones’ holdout is nothing new for Reid, but he worries about Jones’ health as he misses training-camp practices.
“I see the consequences of guys holding out. That’s the problem,” Reid said. “That’s what age does to you (as a coach). Sometimes it’s not always in their benefit and you care about these guys. So you don’t want an injury to set in. But the numbers show that when you miss camp that somehow you’ve gotta get yourself ramped up and it’s not always a positive thing. So him getting in to me is important from that standpoint, from a personal standpoint for him and his longevity in this league.
“And then listen, Brett (Veach, Chiefs general manager) and our crew do a great job of taking care of the other part of it. And we roll from there. But my concern as the head coach is always that for the player, just make sure he can get himself in shape where he can keep himself healthy.”
Reid was asked about others who are filling in for Jones as he misses training-camp practices. The Chiefs coach told a story about former Packers offensive lineman Jon Runyan.
“When the guy’s not here, then that’s where your emphasis goes,” Reid said. “I mean, you’ve expressed the other part and you’re (focused on) the guys over here. And they’re doing a great job of working and challenging each other. When somebody’s gone, it gives another guy an opportunity. And I remember when I first became the head coach, Jon Runyan was on my crew. Here’s Jon Runyan, one of the better tackles in the league. And he always said, ‘I’m not missing a day. I mean, I don’t care. My leg’s gonna have to fall off to for me to let another man step in at my spot and have a chance.’
“He says the competition is just too good. And that’s the way this thing works. So you miss, the next man is in and you roll. And so that’s how we go about it as a coaching staff.”
