Travis Kelce Pleads With Chris Jones To End Holdout
The Kansas City Chiefs are in a predicament. All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones feels like he’s not being valued by the team and wants to get a very expensive extension.
Four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce really wants teammate Chris Jones to return to the team–and recently jumped on his podcast, “New Heights,” to express his concerns.
“Ah man, Chris, can you please come back? You’re really scaring me, man. I don’t get it,” Kelce said. “You must know something that I don’t know because I just don’t get it.
“I really want to get another Super Bowl ring with you, brother. This is me bargaining you to just come back and play football for the Chiefs. Please, we need you. We need you bad. And I don’t know what the situation is.“
Jones has been holding out for a while now, and has racked up some heavy fines because of it. He’s subject to a $50,000 daily fine for his training camp absence as part of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement and could miss game checks if his holdout extends into the regular season.
The heart of Kansas City’s defense threatened to hold out until Week 8 of the regular season which is when the trade deadline ends. Even if he doesn’t, he’s missed an entire preseason and the regular season is getting closer.
Jones’ four-year contract with the Chiefs pays out $80 million. While that may sound like a massive sum of money, Jones’ AAV for 2023 is No. 8 in his position group and T-46 across the entire league.
With interior defensive linemen, such as Quinnen Williams and Jeffery Simmons, both getting record extensions this offseason, Jones is looking to be one of, if not the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL.
He is reportedly seeking a deal worth more than $30 million per season. Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald currently tops all non-quarterbacks with a contract that averages $31.6 million.
There’s no doubt that Jones deserves the money. Last year, he recorded 15.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles with 29 quarterback hits. Jones was third in Defensive Player of the Year voting and earned his first First Team All-Pro selection.
The Mississippi State product led Kansas City to its third Super Bowl in four years and got his second ring. Not having Jones on the team will deal a massive blow to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl hopes if he doesn’t report. The Chiefs are set to face the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7 for the season opener.
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