Chiefs coach Andy Reid was “a bit surprised” by defensive tackle Chris Jones’s holdout. No one should be surprised by what Jones hopes to get by holding out.
Via Nate Taylor of TheAthletic.com, Jones wants $30 million per year.
It’s not unreasonable. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the highest-paid defensive tackle at $31.67 million per year. Jones is closer to Donald than to the cluster of younger defensive tackles who are making in the range of $22.5 million to $23.5 million per year.
The real question is whether Jones is entrenched at $30 million, or whether he has room to move. If so, how much? Is his bottom line $29 million per year? Maybe $28 million?
Whatever it is, the Chiefs and Jones have yet to find an acceptable middle ground. For now, Jones will incur non-waivable fines of $50,000 per day until the holdout ends.
He’s clearly willing to spend the money, in order to get the money he believes he deserves. And the Chiefs will need to blink at some point, because there’s no quick and easy replacement for one of the most dominant defenders in the NFL.
