The Chiefs enter the 2023 season without their best defensive player, as Chris Jones remains away from the team while seeking a contract extension. At first, Jones’s holdout seemed like a typical training camp issue, but with Week 1 on the horizon, the defensive lineman’s teammates are getting worried.
On his New Heights podcast, tight end Travis Kelce pleaded with Jones to return ahead of Kansas City’s season opener against the Lions on Thursday.
“Chris, can you please come back? You’re really scaring me, man. I don’t get it,” Kelce said. “You must know something that I don’t know because I just don’t get it. I really want to get another Super Bowl ring with you, brother. This is me bargaining you to just come back and play football for the Chiefs. Please, we need you.”
Kelce had a ton of praise for Jones, who had 15 1/2 sacks last year and has earned four consecutive Pro Bowl selections with Kansas City.
“He’s the best defensive player in the league right now, and he’s deserving of all the money in the world,” Kelce said. “Chris, I love you, please come back. Now.”
While Kelce wants Jones to return as soon as possible, his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce, would like the standout lineman to stay away until after Philadelphia and Kansas City play in Week 11.
“Don’t let them do this to you, Chris. You need to hold strong, my man!” Jason joked on the podcast. “For all the other D-tackles in the NFL, you cannot take this injustice. You must stay through at least the Eagles game, and then you can come back.”
Jones is entering the final year of a four-year, $80 million deal and is set to hit free agency next offseason. He’s reportedly looking to be paid along the same lines as Rams star Aaron Donald, which is approximately $30 million per year.
