Travis Kelce asks Chris Jones to 'please come back'

As the Chris Jones holdout continues into Labor Day weekend, months after it began and much farther along than anyone ever thought he would take it, his teammates are beginning to address it—at least more than they have in the past. That's likely because Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are close to beginning their title defense in just under a week.

The Detroit Lions are just six nights away from visiting Arrowhead Stadium to kick off a new NFL season on the opening edition of Thursday Night Football. Instead of having everyone prepped and focused, however, the Chiefs are dealing with the cloud of wondering where their best defensive player is.

Jones is currently holding out of frustration with the lack of a contract extension that provides him any security beyond this year. Last season was a banner year for Jones, who has entered potential Hall of Fame discusson with his run of dominant seasons—including 15.5 sacks just a year ago. However, he's still under contract and the Chiefs are clearly not offering him what he wants in any proposed new deal.

We're not the only ones. Travis Kelce says he doesn't get it either.

While Jones is holding out, however, he's also racking up considerable fines—more than $2 million at this point. He's also burning some bridges with fans especially as the season grows closer. No one really thought this would last into training camp, but at this point, he's missed all offseason training activities, mandatory minicamp, camp at St. Joseph, three preseason games, and beyond. As the Chiefs prepare to host the Lions, they're doing so with a massive void in the heart of the defensive line.

As one of the fellow leaders on the team, tight end Travis Kelce knows a thing or two about the pressures Jones is facing. But he's added some pressure on Jones as well, or at least has a message for him, as he relayed on the latest episode of his podcast, New Heights.

"Chris, you’re really scaring me, man. Can you please come back? I don’t get it. You must know something I don’t know because I just don’t get it. I really wanna win another Super Bowl ring with you, brother. This is me bargaining with you to just come back and play football for the Chiefs."

The Chiefs host the Lions on Thursday, September 7. You can hear more from the latest New Heights episode below.