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Chris Jones may not be on the field tonight, but his presence is still felt within Arrowhead Stadium.
The Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle was seen among the crowd at the 2023 NFL season opener against the Detroit Lions. Jones is in the midst of a contract holdout, wanting an extension worth at least $84 million over the next three years.
He had said on "Red Wednesday":
"I can't really talk about it. Hopefully it gets worked out. It's always been my goal to be a Kansas City Chief for life. I've said that multiple times on social media platforms, from interviews, and they know where my position is at. Hopefully we can get something worked out for the long term.
"It's just like when you're at a job and you ask for an extension, right? You ask for a raise, right? You're not letting anyone down. Who are you letting down for asking your boss for a raise? When you take the personal feelings out of it, you kind of can get it. I'm just asking for a raise."
Just minutes after the game, the Lions opened the scoring with a touchdown pass by Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown:
In response, former running back LeSean McCoy urged the Chiefs to settle with Jones as soon as possible:
Details of Chris Jones' fines and penalties
While Chris Jones sat out the preseason, he was subjected to a $50,000 fine for every day he missed. Since the camp lasted six weeks or 42 days, he had to pay $2.1 million. But now he is undergoing a new set of penalties.
Per Albert Breer and Spotrac, Jones' current contract, which he signed in 2020, had a $500,000 workout bonus. Obviously, he did not show up and had to forfeit it.
He is also set to lose approximately $1 million for each game he misses, and even if he does agree to return, the Kansas City Chiefs may impose a roster exemption, meaning he will have to sit out up to two weeks while he works himself back to shape, both unpaid.
When asked how long he could sit out, Jones suggested that it could be until as late as Week 8:
