Chris Jones insinuates he could sit out for quite some time

Just when you think there might be a reason to believe the rift between the Kansas City Chiefs and their single best defender, defensive tackle Chris Jones, might be healing, Twitter (or the app formerly known as) allows for some weird dialogue that complicates the whole thing.

It's important to note from the outset that the phrase "money talks" is very important here. We're talking about a rift caused by a difference in viewpoint as to what Jones is worth to the Chiefs' future, and as both the team and player remain far apart enough in long-term contract negotiations, Jones has decided to hold out for the entirety of training camp and then some. If the Chiefs were to offer more money, then we'd no longer pay attention to anything else Jones has said or is saying.

But therein lies the problem. The Chiefs have not offered up enough money to do the talking for the team, so Jones has resorted to saying things to fill the void on Twitter. And none of it is what fans want to hear.

On Tuesday, another day of Chiefs practice came and went, leaving only 16 more days until the Detroit Lions are set to visit Arrowhead to officially start the NFL regular season. Jones has missed every bit of practice this entire offseason—going back to mandatory minicamp—which is forcing him to face approximately $2 million in fines already. But he's apparently ready to sit for quite a bit longer.

If you checked Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, you likely read this exchange between a fan and Jones. The fan asks about his potential return and Jones says a very straightforward answer: "Week 8"

From there, Jones doubled down, so to speak, when challenged about how much it would cost him to sit out.

The "hefty tab" line refers to the fact that each game missed means missing that game check, which is around $1.1 million for Jones. If Jones is planning on sitting out the first seven games, then it's quite possible that the total amount of money sacrificed via missed game checks and/or NFLPA fines would reach the $10 million mark.

A player has to really believe in his cause in order to sacrifice that much. It also means the Chiefs and Jones arrowheadaddict.com chris jones.

Is Jones just blowing smoke? Is he trying to pressure the team into giving up more before the season? Is he hoping that more drama equals more panic in the front office? And how much is this sideshow going to affect the actual team? It's hard to say but Tuesday's turn of events—or at least the dialogue involve—show that this is going to remain an unpleasant talking point for longer than anyone wanted to see.