Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly playing hardball with Chris Jones

According to Ian Rapoport, the Kansas City Chiefs are playing a bit of hardball with Chris Jones over his forthcoming contract extension.

For weeks and even months, there’s been a nice level of financial understanding on both sides, for both defensive lineman Chris Jones and the front office of the Kansas City Chiefs. Now there seems to be a bit more drama underneath the surface if the latest report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport is true.

Jones is on deck as the next player to receive a lucrative contract extension from his employer or else he’s likely to cost much, much more if the Chiefs wait another year (or more) to secure him for the long-term. Given his level of productivity, his charisma and confidence, and his incredible growth curve, there’s no doubt the Chiefs want to lock him up for the next several years, and they’ve made no secret of that desire. At the same time, Jones has been a team player since day one, including any and all discussion around his contract. He’s stated he wants to be in K.C. for the rest of his career, leaving little doubt that a deal will get done.

Now, however, there’s a bit of smoke signaling otherwise. We will let Rapoport tell you himself:

If you need a transcription of the above report:

"“He has stayed away for OTAs. That’s voluntary. No fines are associated with that. But he’s not present, I’m told, for mandatory minicamp, so Chris Jones, one of the best players on a Chiefs defense they would really like to improve this year, he is not at mandatory minicamp. He is going to get fined. He would like a new deal, looking for something in the $20 million per year range. My understanding is the Chiefs are not going to negotiate with him until he’s present and he is not present right now.”"

The absence of Jones should not be surprising for the Chiefs, or any team for that matter, since it’s the one ounce of leverage in the hands of a player to draw attention to the contract concerns. The Chiefs have acknowledged the concern and stated their goals to ink Jones to an extension, so Jones’ absence is a way of forcing the issue. Such an absence is often used to paint the player in a negative light—look who is not a team player?!—but the reality is that Jones has everything to lose by being in mandatory minicamp with the Chiefs, a three-day event that began on Tuesday.

Every year, at least a handful of players end up injured during these offseason training activities and mandated minicamps. It’s part and parcel of being an NFL player, of course, and no one would suggest that a team not practice during the offseason. Every team has to get ready somehow and the only way to do that is through drills, workouts, scrimmages and the like. Physical activity is the precursor to physical injury and it’s simply an inherent risk.

For Jones, by attending minicamp and waiting for a billionaire owner to decide when the timing is right to reward him is to roll the dice with every single rep of activity. If a worst-case scenario were to happen, Jones would potentially miss out on generational wealth. Right now, he’s utilizing the one thing he can control in order to move up the timeline for all parties involved. The message is clear, “If you have a problem with my absence, you know how to get me to be present.”

What makes the idea of the Chiefs playing hardball even worse is that Jones has everything they could have hoped for and more when John Dorsey selected him in the second round. His ceiling is still unknown yet he just led the team with 15.5 sacks. His boisterous personality makes him a fan favorite (as if Arrowhead faithful didn’t already love the incredible production). He’s also one of a few known commodities on a defense in flux top to bottom.

Given the public stance of the Chiefs to this point, it’s hard to believe the team is really choosing this time and player to suddenly turn cold. The Chiefs want a deal done. Jones wants a deal done. Let’s hope this report is completely erroneous and that both parties follow through on their already stated desires.