Was Kansas City’s Chris Jones serious when he said he would sit out until ‘Week 8’ of the 2023 season?

Chris Jones chiefs pic
Chris Jones chiefs pic

One problem the Chiefs are still dealing with this offseason is the contract of DT Chris Jones. The 29-year-old has spent seven seasons with Kansas City and is a two-time Super Bowl champ. Ahead of the 2023 season, Jones believes he deserves a long-term deal. 

At the moment, no deal has been signed by the one-time All-Pro. Yesterday, Jones replied to an internet troll online and said that he might sit out until “Week 8” of the 2023 season. Is the long-time Chief really willing to miss half the season due to contract disputes? We’ll have to wait and see.

Was Chris Jones bluffing when he said he would sit out until Week 8 of the 2023 season?


A few weeks ago, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Chris Joens and the Chiefs were “far apart” on signing a new deal. Since then, there have not been any signals saying that they are moving in the right direction. Every day of camp that Jones misses, he’s fined $50,000. The reason he’s been sitting is because Jones doesn’t feel like he’s being paid like the rest of the top DTs in the NFL.

Jones’ current deal has him as the 9th highest-paid DT in the NFL. Relative to his production, the four-time Pro Bowl is underpaid. Last season, Jones tied his career-high with 15.5 sacks and was named to the first-team All-Pro. Reports have said that Jones wants a deal similar to Aaron Donald with an annual average value of $30 million per season.


Right now, Chris Jones is dealing with a number of fines. If he carries his holdout into the regular season, that number will only increase. On his current deal, Jones would be fined roughly $1.18 million for each game he misses. Missing the first eight games would mean he’s fined over $8 million. That number would be closer to $14 million with his fines from missing training camp. Kansas City has about two weeks until their first regular season game.

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