The reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs will reportedly commence the start of training camp without a key member of their defense due to an ongoing contract dispute with team brass.
All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones did not report to training camp on Saturday as the two-time Super Bowl champion remains in search of a new contract, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
Per Schefter, Jones, who finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2022, and Kansas City are still currently “far apart” on an extension. The 29-year-old is set to enter the final year of a four-year, $80 million contract he signed in March 2020 after receiving the franchise tag.
While it remains to be seen when or if Jones re-joins the team, Saturday’s update and his absence from training camp, just over a month after skipping mandatory minicamp, suggests he could be away for the foreseeable future.
An anchor along the Chiefs defensive line, Jones started every game and accumulated 15.5 sacks and a career-high 44 tackles during the 2022 season. He finished the year with his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl nod while earning a first-team All-Pro selection, the first of his career.
