Chiefs news: Team has 'no intentions' of trading Chris Jones

The Kansas City Chiefs are now into their third week of training camp and defensive tackle Chris Jones is still nowhere to be seen. And with each passing day in St. Joseph that Jones is not present, a shadow is further cast over the notion that a long-term deal will be reached.

A long-term contract extension is exactly the source of all tension between both franchise and player, although to hear the Chiefs discuss the matter is to wonder why things aren't already worked out between them. Jones is dissatisfied with his current deal and wants long-term security heading into a contract year. For the Chiefs, the price tag for a player of Jones's caliber is high and something about the player's expectations are off.

Brett Veach is still staying all the right things even as Jones's holdout continues well into camp.

On Monday, however, general manager Brett Veach spoke with the Kansas City Star about the fact that Jones was missing in action, and yet he not only admitted his defensive star deserved big money but that eventually the team would pay it. Veach also stated that the team had "no intentions" of trading Jones.

“I think for all parties, I think the best resolution would be for him to end his career as a Chief — and get that financial security — and for us to do what we had set out to do, and that’s to work through last offseason with this offseason in mind and get some young guys, which we did that, and then focus on this year and getting Chris done,” Veach said. “Hopefully, we get this resolved, but we have no intentions of making a trade.”

What makes Veach's statement even more positive is that he referenced trading Tyreek Hill a year ago and says he did so with the idea of having the money to keep Jones for the long haul even then. That means the Chiefs' plans have included keeping Jones around for the rest of his playing career—-and they've been that way for quite some time.

For the Chiefs, Jones is by far the best pass rusher among a defensive line that's lacking talent along the interior and experience on the exterior. The team lost Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap this offseason on the edge and one free agent replacement, Charles Omenihu, has been suspended for the first six games of the 2023 season. Without Jones, the Chiefs are learning to lean heavily on younger players who could actually benefit from his wisdom.

Jones was an All-Pro last season after matching his career high in sacks at 15.5 in his sixth season with the Chiefs.