The Chris Jones holdout has entered its third week, and so far, all we've heard about a potential deal getting done is that "The Chiefs are unwilling to pay Jones to make him the highest paid defensive tackle in the league." Hm. For some reason, I thought the conversation was about making him the SECOND highest paid defensive tackle in the league behind Aaron Donald. Not only that, but we've seen cryptic tweets (X-posts? Who knows what they're called anymore) from both Chris Jones AND the Chiefs that have potentially referenced the situation. So, what gives? Is a deal going to get done? Is this year Chris Jones's last dance? Is he just not going to show up to training camp at all? What's the deal?
Well, for starters, Chris Jones is on his last year of his contract. If the Chiefs wanted to get rid of him, they would have by now. Not only that, but the Chiefs are seemingly going cheap on receivers, defensive backs, and other positions. Why would that be exactly if not to pay your defensive centerpiece? Yet, we find ourselves in this situation, no deal is done and the cryptic social media posts continue. Jones DID answer one question from @ChiefsNana on "X" regarding the situation:
Jones (@StoneColdJones): "Stay strong and carry on."
Holly (@ChiefsNana): Chris, this cryptic tweeting is making us nuts (Tell me about it), ok me (Nah, really all of us, Holly), it's making me nuts lol. I just need a yes or no, preferably a yes. (Smily emoji)
Jones: I'm under contract for one more year! I'm no fortune teller. Let's enjoy this year. (Trophy emoji)
Apologies, I would have had a picture of the interaction, but Wix has told me I've reached my storage limit (and I am cheap) You can find the full interaction on Chris's "X" page linked here: Tweets with replies by Chris Jones (@StoneColdJones) / X (twitter.com)
Still cryptic, but a bit more telling. Top that off with Chris posting on Instagram him walking away with a suitcase in an airport terminal, and we've got peak ambiguity from one of the Chiefs' biggest stars. Could mean he's just doing one long goodbye, could mean he's on his way to sign a deal with KC and just wants to continue to toy with fans. My take on the situation? I think the Chiefs will get a deal done, it's just how the Chiefs have handled contracts. Yes, I realize the Tyreek Hill situation didn't end how we had hoped it would, but #1: Look how that turned out, and #2: This is not that situation. Jones is the defensive centerpiece of the Chiefs; they will not let him walk without a fight. It's going to take long because the Chiefs need to figure out how they'll make it work in order to continue to play the long game they've been playing. Mind you, L'Jarius Sneed, Creed Humphrey, Willie Gay, and Nick Bolton are all due a payday very soon. It's not just the Jones contract they're considering in this. The Chiefs want to get a deal that best suits them, if that means letting Jones ride for a bit longer then so be it. In the end, professional sports is a fickle mistress. The bottom line is money, and for Chris Jones and the Chiefs, rent may need to be deferred to put the Chiefs in the best financial situation.
Burn Notice: 9/10 Hopefully this will be the 2nd to last part...hopefully.
Comments