BURNING QUESTION: Should Chris Jones Be Traded?
We have now reached week #8 of the Chris Jones holdout. Anybody think we'd be here? Who would have thought huh? Any who, let's talk about what got us to this point, then we'll get into this week's question. Chris Jones has long since been a stalwart of the Chiefs defense. In 107 total games with the Chiefs, he has recorded 2 interceptions, 12 forced fumbles, recovered 3 fumbles, recorded 33 pass deflections, has 243 combined tackles (65 of those being tackles for loss), 146 QB hits, 1 safety, 1 touchdown, and 65 sacks. He also has 2 Super Bowl rings, for what it's worth. If he were to end his career right now, it would be hard to keep him out of Canton. He has proven to be one of the best at his position and going into the last year of his contract in 2023, he expects to get paid like it. I can't say I blame him, but let's look further into it. Chris Jones's agency is Katz Brothers Sports, ran by Jason and Michael Katz, who split off from the arguably the most reputable NFL agency, Rosenhaus Sports. The Katz Brothers, Chris Jones, and the Chiefs have reached an impasse in regard to how much Chris Jones should be extended for. Jones and the Katz Brothers have been cryptic and without transparency regarding the matter, making it difficult to gauge what exactly they want from the Chiefs to the point of where it's frustrated everyone involved with the Chiefs organization, from fans all the way up to Veach himself. The last update we heard was that Jones wants Aaron Donald-level money, about $30 million per year, and that the Chiefs and Jones's camp were "far apart" in negotiating a deal. We've also heard that they aren't too though, there's really nobody that knows what exactly is going on outside of Veach and Jones's camp, to be frank. That's what this has come down to and people are reasonably frustrated.
Now we jump into the question at hand. A common strategy I am seeing is that the Chiefs should TRADE Chris Jones for a marquee player and a 1st or 2nd round pick. I'll be frank and just come right out with it: I hate this idea. While it has been proven that Jones is not necessarily needed to win games, he's certainly the centerpiece of a young, inexperienced Chiefs defense. A Chiefs defense that severely lacks in run defense and pass pressure without their star defensive tackle. If Jones doesn't come back, it could mean that this becomes a significant weakness the Chiefs will HAVE to address, a weakness they can avoid easily if they find the right price for Jones. It doesn't prevent the Chiefs from making another Super Bowl, but it makes it a lot harder. Not only that, the Chiefs, in all likelihood, would have A) Drafted an early round defensive tackle in the past draft, and B) Traded Jones already to save cap space if that was their plan all along. It doesn't make sense for the Chiefs to trade Jones and it doesn't make sense for Jones to sit out, so something needs to be figured out. In the end, the Katz Brothers are likely to blame for all of this, they're notorious for these kinds of asinine moves that lack any sort of nuance or transparency, in this case they're sacrificing the prime of their client's career to make maybe $1 to $2 million more for him. The Chiefs seem willing to come to a compromise and the Katz Brothers seemingly don't, that is where we are at right now and that's what we know, so I ask you, my fair audience, what's your opinion on the issue? Should the Chiefs consider trading Jones? Should they wait and see if he holds out longer? Will he sign? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on social media!
Burn Notice: 8/10 Ugh...I'm done talking about this to be honest...