NFL Rumors: Chiefs Bracing for Chris Jones to Sit Early in Year amid Contract Holdout

The Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly prepared to be without Chris Jones to start the 2023 season as the star defensive tackle continues to hold out in search of a new contract.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Monday on SportsCenter that the Chiefs "have been bracing, at least for the early part of the year, to be without Chris Jones because of this contract dispute."

Fowler added:

"As was told to me, they need Chris Jones to make their Super Bowl repeat run but at least if they have to win a few shootouts early in the year, they're prepared to do so because there's been a gap in the money based on what the team's willing to give him on a new deal versus what Jones seeks. And there had been some communication early last week, later in the week, they've talked, so that's at least a positive. It's better than what it had been the last couple of weeks, which was pretty much silence."

Jones missed all of training camp and has yet to report to Kansas City as he hopes to land a new contract entering the final year of his current deal. The Athletic's Nate Taylor reported in July that he's seeking a deal worth at least $30 million per year.

ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reported Saturday that the Chiefs "have offered to replace the $19.5 million that Jones is due to earn in 2023 with $74 million over the next three years," including $70 million guaranteed for injury.

Florio added that Jones "would take $84.5 million over three" years, which is closer to the three-year, $95 million deal Los Angeles Rams standout Aaron Donald signed last summer.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that Jones and the Chiefs are "not close on a deal" and that he didn't report for practice leading into the team's regular-season opener on Thursday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told reporters last month that Jones is certainly deserving of a new deal but that the two sides have "some hurdles" to work through in negotiations:

"He's a great player, and he wants a big contract. He deserves a big contract, and I don't think there's any surprises in that regard. But there's just some hurdles we have to work through in regards to how we can keep this thing going for the short and long term. But we've never wavered on, 'This is a guy that we want to exhaust all of our efforts to get done,' because that's how much we think of him."

Jones, a four-time Pro Bowler, has played an integral role in the Kansas City defense since 2016 and has been a big reason why the team has won two Super Bowl titles in the last four seasons.

The 29-year-old is coming off the best season of his career in 2022 having posted 15.5 sacks, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 44 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 29 quarterback hits in 17 games.

Jones went on to finish third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

If the Chiefs hope to repeat as Super Bowl champions this season, they're going to need Jones to do so. As the season progresses, the two sides may become more willing to hammer out a new deal.