Seeking a contract in the Aaron Donald range, Jones has seen the Chiefs push for a deal more in line with the recently established second tier of the defensive tackle market. Daron Payne, Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons and Quinnen Williams all signed for between $22.5MM and $24MM per year, but Jones has been resolute as he stays away. The Chiefs are unable to waive the $50K-per-day fines Jones has incurred, separating this from Nick Bosa‘s holdout. On a rookie contract, Bosa’s fines can be waived. Jones has lost more than $1.5MM already but has hinted at a holdout extending into the regular season.
The Chiefs have parted ways with a number of defensive regulars in recent years, moving on from the likes of Marcus Peters, Justin Houston, Tyrann Mathieu and Frank Clark. The team has prioritized Jones in the past, franchise-tagging him and reaching an extension in 2020. Jones, 28, will count on the Chiefs folding, as their pass rush will obviously take a hit without him. But as we move close to the regular season, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes the sides are not close on terms.
It still seems difficult to envision Jones missing out on game checks, but this process has already gone on far longer than expected. The Chiefs have, however, come out against trading the All-Pro D-tackle. Regarding another well-known Chief, Reiter is considered likely to end up on the team’s practice squad, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.