Chiefs’ Chris Jones does not show up to report day while seeking new contract: report

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones has not shown up to camp in St. Joseph with the rest of his teammates while seeking a contract extension, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday afternoon.

Schefter, in a tweet, reported Saturday that the two sides “remain ‘far apart’” on a new deal.

Jones, 29, is in the last year of a four-year pact with the Chiefs. According to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, a player under contract with unexcused late reporting or absence from preseason training camp is subject to a mandatory fine of $50,000 per day.

Chiefs veterans were set to report to St. Joseph on Friday. The team had no practice or media access Saturday, with the first full-squad workout in front of fans slated for Sunday morning.

Coach Andy Reid was asked Tuesday whether he expected Jones to be with the team when veterans arrived.

“I don’t know that. I’ll have to just see how that goes,” Reid said then. “There’s communication going on. That’s the important part. And then we just have to see.”

Jones’ latest move is a departure from how he handled his previous contract negotiations with the Chiefs.

When nearing the end of his rookie deal in 2019, Jones sat out mandatory minicamp before eventually reporting to the start of training camp. After that season, the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Jones before the two sides reached their current four-year agreement in July 2020.

Jones sat out last month’s mandatory minicamp while waiting on his new deal, and according to the NFL’s CBA, that resulted in a maximum fine of $98,753. He also missed the team’s ring ceremony for its Super Bowl LVII victory, though he later said on social media that he didn’t attend because he was sick.

Before the Chiefs’ ring ceremony, general manager Brett Veach said the team was keeping in constant touch with Jones and his agency. He also reiterated there was plenty of time to get a long-term deal done then.

“I’m sure we’ll have great dialogue from now to the start of training camp,” Veach said on June 15. “We look forward to Chris being here, not just for next year, but for a long time.”

Jones has previously shared his fondness for the Chiefs. That included a social media post in March responding to a fan, as Jones was asked if an extension was coming soon. “I’m a chief for life,” Jones tweeted on March 12. “I will not play for another franchise.”

Where the two sides might still land in negotiations remains an open question even after the New York Jets’ Quinnen Williams agreed to his recent extension for $24 million per year, which included $66 million guaranteed.

The pay gap between the NFL’s second-highest-paid defensive tackle Williams ($24 million per year) and the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald at No. 1 ($31.7 million) is immense. It seems likely that Jones might get paid somewhere between those two figures; however, the Chiefs continue to be motivated to save any money they can while already having quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract on the books (with a likely extension coming there in the next year or two as well).

One benefit for the Chiefs to locking up Jones would be clearing up salary-cap space for this season. According to OverTheCap.com, KC has $562,353 in cap space available — the lowest mark in the NFL.

The Chiefs also have the option of trading Jones, who would seemingly have plenty of suitors. The eighth-year pro was the Chiefs’ unquestioned top defensive player in 2022, registering 15 1/2 sacks and earning first-team All-Pro status.