COVID-19 pandemic gives Chiefs’ Chris Jones every reason to sit out

Chris Jones wants a new contract, putting the Chiefs in a tough spot.

The Kansas City Chiefs‘ focus on giving Patrick Mahomes the record contract extension he deserves was interrupted this week, with defensive end Chris Jones making it exceptionally clear he will not be put on the back-burner.

Jones is on the franchise tag for the 2020 season, scheduled to make around $16 million. However, he’s not satisfied with such a short-term commitment and went as far as suggesting he could take a page out of Le’Veon Bell’s book and sit out regular-season games in search of a long, guaranteed deal.

We can argue all night about the financial ramifications of such a decision, but if he’s serious about doing so, the 2020 season is the ideal year to remain on the mend.

If Chris Jones wants to sit out the season for the Chiefs, it might actually be the perfect year to do so.

The COVID-19 pandemic has the start of the 2020 NFL season already in flux. This week, Roger Goodell cut half the preseason games from the slate, and while that seems insignificant to some, think of it in terms of money — NFL owners just punted on hundreds of millions of dollars, collectively. Trust us, it’s a big deal.

The only real way to see through the PR fog into the mindset of NFL ownership is to view financial sacrifice as a warning sign. Should the season be cancelled or delayed, the likelihood of players taking a pay cut raises significantly. Not to mention, Jones will be entering a contract year if he plays on the tag. Why would he take the chance of contracting COVID-19, or worse, without a long-term commitment from the Chiefs?

Unlike Bell, who lost money in the short-term for the eventual deal he was seeking in New York, Jones would be playing on a year-to-year basis in a pandemic. He — like every NFL player — should be considering their options. For Jones, the finances might add up.