It's Monday, and Chris Jones has yet to report for practice. After missing Sunday's session, it casts tremendous doubt on his availability for the Kansas City Chiefs Week 1 matchup on Thursday against the Lions even if he and the Chiefs were to come to a contract agreement before then.
The reason being that Sunday is the "Wednesday" of Thursday night game weeks when teams start to unpack their playbook and rehearse for the real deal.
Jones missing Week 1 and going another week without a contract agreement will certainly open up a new chapter in the holdout saga with the Chiefs. With that, it'll make some talk on trades -- that is so far unproven and unreported -- a little louder.
Are Chiefs getting calls about Chris Jones trade?
There have been some whispers among NFL rumors aggregators that specific teams are calling the Chiefs about Chris Jones. So far, none of that has been substantiated by the core NFL reporters. For now, it's hard to believe that there have been any substantial discussions between the Chiefs and other teams about Jones.
One thing we have observed, though, is players from other teams -- like the Browns -- publicly recruiting Jones. That may not mean much, but it is something to keep an eye on.
Consider, first, that general manager Brett Veach has publicly expressed a desire to get Jones back soon. Then, consider that the two sides are rumored to be picking up speed in contract negotiations over the last several days.
A trade would take those negotiations falling apart first.
Chris Jones trade would be the next step, but we're not there yet
So, while rumors of teams calling the Chiefs about a Chris Jones trade don't appear to be reliable just yet, we might be getting there if we go much further here. It could very well depend on how the Chiefs Week 1 and Week 2 games go. If Jones wants the pressure to be on Kansas City -- and logic would suggest that is his hope -- to get a deal done fast, he should hope for close high-scoring games with the pass rush struggling.
Jones would immediately fix that problem. No doubt, the Chiefs can win games purely on their electric offense, but having defensive support to get the offense some breathing room is preferable. If other teams have plenty of time to pass, it bodes well for the urgency on KC's side to placate Jones quickly.
The reports thus far are that Jones and the Chiefs are about $10 million off in total contract value over three years. If those figures are believed to be true, one would think that the deal is close to getting done. You don't want to lose a top defensive player over about $3 million in marginal funds annually.
But if talks deteriorate, the Chiefs may have no choice but to look at what the trade market has to offer. After all, Jones should return a huge haul.
