All-Pro DT Jones fails to report to Chiefs for start of regular-season game prep
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Chris Jones did not report to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday to begin preparing for their season opener against Detroit, making it highly unlikely that the AllPro defensive tackle will play against the Lions on Thursday night.
Jones has been holding out while trying to get a long-term contract. He is entering the final year of a four-year, $80 million pact, and has been racking up millions in fines for missing offseason workouts, training camp and all three preseason games.
The 29-year-old pass rusher will forfeit about $1.1 million for each regular-season game he misses.
“You’re never sure how it’s going to work out. You deal with too many people in this type of thing,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who declined to discuss his own involvement in the negotiations before the first significant practice of game week.
“These things can go any direction. I don’t want to spend too much time on it,” Reid added. “We had 90 guys in the offseason that I was making sure were going in the right direction, and now we’re getting ready to play a game. That’s how I go about it.”
Reid was more hopeful that wide receiver Kadarius Toney and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed would be ready for the opener. Toney missed most of training camp after surgery for a torn meniscus and Sneed, one of the Chiefs’ best cornerbacks, has been out for more than a month with swelling in his knee.
Most of the attention remains on Jones, though, given his importance to the Kansas City defense. He tied a career high with 15 1/2 sacks last season, picked up his first postseason sacks and helped the Chiefs beat Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said last week communication with Jones’ representatives picked up after a long impasse ahead of the regular season.
Veach even said he was “certainly hopeful” that a deal could be reached in time for Jones to report to practice and be on the field when the Chiefs raise their latest title banner at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I don’t know what his agenda is,” Reid said, “or when he is coming.”
“I mean, at this point you just prepare to play the game with the guys that are in the building,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes added before Sunday’s sweltering practice, “and let the front office handle that.”
Cowboys, OT Steele agree on $86.8M extension
FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys and right tackle Terence Steele agreed Sunday on an $86.8 million, five-year extension, a huge payday for an undrafted player coming off an ACL injury.
Steele will get $50 million guaranteed in a contract with a $17 million annual average, which puts the 26-year-old in the top 10 among right tackles. The deal could be worth up to $91.8 million.
The Cowboys signed Steele to a secondround tender at $4.3 million as a restricted free agent after his three-year rookie contract expired.
Steele was cleared for most of training camp despite tearing the ACL in his left knee 13 games into last season. Undrafted out of Texas Tech, Steele started 14 games as a rookie in 2020 when he replaced an injured La’el Collins. He has started 40 of 45 games.
The deal with Steele comes about three weeks after right guard Zack Martin agreed to a $36.9 million, two-year contract to give the sixtime All-Pro a raise and end a camp holdout.