Tag: absence

Chris Jones fine tracker: Penalties piling up for star DT

Chris Jones has been fined a significant amount of money for his two-week absence from #Chiefs training camp in St. Joseph.

The announcement of Charles Omenihu’s suspension last week may have given star defensive lineman Chris Jones some leverage in his negotiations for an extension with the Kansas City Chiefs, but nothing is certain at this point. Jones is still being fined for each day of training camp that he misses at a rate of $50,000 per day, so his holdout from practices at Missouri Western State University comes at a steep price that ensures Kansas City’s front office still holds all the cards.

Last week when we looked at Jones’ accrued penalties he was sitting at somewhere between $400,000 and $500,000 owed back to the Chiefs for his absence. The $400,000 figure was calculated assuming that the fines started at midnight on Sunday, July 23, a day after Kansas City’s veterans reported to St. Joseph on July 22 and that he has not been accruing penalties for days that the Chiefs do not practice.

Now, though, even the calculation that assumes the most lenient punishment for his truancy has ballooned to $600,000 for 12 days of workouts missed, which is no small sum considering that Kansas City has not even begun its preseason exhibition schedule.

The more severe estimation, which sat at $500,000 last week, operates on the premise that fines are also being levied for days that the Chiefs do not practice. This would put him at $750,000 for 15 total absences from training camp in St. Joseph from July 23 until August 6.

Jones’ total cap number for the 2023 season remains $28,291,668 and these figures are starting to eat into his total pay for the year in a more significant capacity than they were last week. Now, Jones is set to effectively forfeit somewhere between two and three percent of his total cap number, with no sign of a resolution on the horizon.

The portion of Kansas City’s roster that decided to report to training camp, some 89 of the Chiefs’ 90 total players under contract, have been hard at work preparing for a championship defense while Jones figures out how to extract more money from the team’s delicate salary cap.

For his part, Jones is already the second-highest-paid player on the team, behind reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes. Jones makes about $6 million more than Joe Thuney, who commands the third-highest cap number, and his pay nearly doubles that of Travis Kelce, who accounts for $14,801,994 on the Chiefs’ books.

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Chiefs injury, absence updates from Day 1 of training camp

The #Chiefs held their first full team practice at training camp on Sunday and there were only a few injuries/absences to start the year:

The Kansas City Chiefs finally held their first full training camp practice of the year on Sunday, again gracing the practice fields at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.

There were two expected absences to start off practice, one injury-related and one contract-related. Tershawn Wharton is on the active/PUP list due to last season’s ACL injury and is not yet ready to return to practice. Chris Jones did not report to training camp with his veteran teammates as he seeks a long-term contract extension. He’ll incur a mandatory fine of $50K for missing practice on Sunday.

With Jones absent from training camp, former Kansas Jayhawk Daniel Wise wound up as the starting defensive tackle opposite Derrick Nnadi according to multiple reports. Wise spent time on the practice squad in Kansas City last season.

Other injuries include rookie OT Wanya Morris, who left practice early to go to the injury tent in Friday’s pre-training camp finale for rookies. After practice, Chiefs HC Andy Reid gave a quick update on Morris, saying that he suffered a minor hamstring injury.

According to several reporters in attendance, Chiefs second-year RB Isiah Pacheco was still wearing the same yellow non-contact jersey that he wore during the past three days of closed practices. He’s out there working during individual drills, but he’s sitting out team drills until he’s ready for some level of contact.

One player who didn’t seem to get much work on the day was WR Kadarius Toney. He caught kicks ahead of practice in special teams drills, but he was held out of teamwork during practice. Reid updated reporters after practice saying that Toney “tweaked” his knee during warm-ups. We’ll see just how long he’s out of practice, but it feels like caution was key here.

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Chiefs DT Chris Jones ends speculation over Super Bowl ring ceremony absence

#Chiefs DT Chris Jones put an end to the speculation surrounding his absence from the team’s Super Bowl LVII ring ceremony.

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Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones’ absence from the team’s Super Bowl LVII ring ceremony wasn’t related to his current contract situation.

Yes, Jones skipped out on the Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp, leaving himself open to nearly $100K in fines as he awaits a long-term contract extension. When he missed the team’s Super Bowl LVII ring ceremony on Thursday, fans began to assume the worst and that his absence was somehow related.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach told reporters that he “felt good” about contract negotiations, expressing that he’d be surprised if Jones didn’t attend the ring ceremony. Well, Jones didn’t attend, but as it turns out, the absence was entirely unrelated.

Jones responded to a fan on Twitter over the weekend, explaining that he couldn’t attend the ceremony because he was sick.

Now this could be a convenient excuse, but Jones has no reason to mislead his fans. He has always maintained that he doesn’t want to play for another franchise. He wants to finish his career in Kansas City and continue competing for championships with his teammates.

The current expectation among coaches, executives and players in the building is that Jones and the Chiefs will strike a deal on an extension ahead of or right after the beginning of training camp. His current four-year deal with the Chiefs came right ahead of the deadline for teams to extend franchise-tag players. Given that Jones is under contract, there isn’t a hard deadline for an extension.

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Chiefs injury, absence updates from second day of mandatory minicamp

The latest injury and absence information from Day 2 of #Chiefs mandatory minicamp:

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The Kansas City Chiefs continued their three-day mandatory minicamp on Wednesday with few changes in terms of attendance.

Chris Jones remained absent from practice in what appears to be a contract-related holdout. The Chiefs are now within their rights to fine Jones nearly $50K for missing the past two practices. If he misses the third and final practice they can fine him up to $100K.

Blake Bell, Trey Smith and Jerick McKinnon remained absent from practice along with Tershawn Wharton (ACL) and Isiah Pacheco (Hand/Labrum). McKinnon spoke to media members on Wednesday, explaining that this is all part of the training staff’s plan for him after an extended 2023 NFL season. He says that he’ll be ready to go for training camp. Don’t be shocked if there is some more veteran load management for McKinnon in the future.

S Mike Edwards, CB Trent McDuffie and CB L’Jarius Sneed all remained sidelined during practice without their helmets, working with the training staff.

Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney reports that Justyn Ross did not take part in team drills during Wednesday’s practice. He says that Kadarius Toney was back participating in team drills after sitting out on Tuesday. It appears that the Chiefs are being cautious with these two players, who have a history of injury issues, at this specific juncture of the offseason.

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Chiefs injury, absence updates from first day of mandatory minicamp

Chris Jones was among the players absent from Day 1 of #Chiefs mandatory minicamp:

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The Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their three-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday with nearly full attendance from their 90-man offseason roster.

Star DT Chris Jones, who also missed all of the team’s voluntary OTAs, was not among the players in attendance for the first mandatory minicamp practice. Jones is entering the final year of a four-year contract extension worth $80M with $60M guaranteed that he signed back in 2020.

It’s unclear if this is a holdout or an excused absence and we won’t hear from Andy Reid until the conclusion of mandatory minicamp on Thursday. If Jones does not report to practice for each of the three days, the Chiefs can fine him nearly $100K total.

According to Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney, Jones was among six players who were entirely absent from practice. That group includes Blake Bell, Jerick McKinnon and Trey Smith, but it’s still unclear why that trio is absent from practice. They could be excused or they could be dealing with injuries. Tershawn Wharton (ACL) and Isiah Pacheco (Hand/Labrum) were also absent from practice as they recover from injuries suffered last season.

Three players were spotted at practice on the sidelines without their helmets — S Mike Edwards, CB Trent McDuffie and CB L’Jarius Sneed. That is consistent with their status during the course of OTAs. They each seem to be dealing with some sort of injury at this time and the team is being cautious with how quickly they bring them back.

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Chiefs injury, absence updates from final day of training camp

The #Chiefs have wrapped their 2022 training camp. Here are the final injury and absence updates out of St. Joe:

The Kansas City Chiefs have officially wrapped their final training camp practice of the year at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.

The Chiefs saw a few players return to practice on Thursday, including RB Jerick McKinnon (hamstring) and LS James Winchester (personal). Those still missing from practice included TE Blake Bell (hip flexor), WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (sore knee), WR Mecole Hardman (groin) and DT Chris Jones (back). OT Lucas Niang (knee) remains on the active/PUP list and out of practice as a result.

Bell missed his fourth practice, while Smith-Schuster missed his third practice. Hardman and Jones both sat out of practice after leaving early on Wednesday. The latest on Hardman’s groin injury after MRI tests is that it’s considered a minor groin strain. Chiefs HC Andy Reid spoke after practice, saying that Hardman and Jones could play on Saturday if need be. I’d guess that they’ll hold both players out for the time being. Reid also added that Smith-Schuster is making progress on his knee injury.

After practice wrapped up, several injured players came to break one final huddle with military members for the team’s “Military Appreciation Day.” Hardman, Jones and Smith-Schuster walked down the hill to participate. Justyn Ross was also among those coming down the hill. He’s on injured reserve and remains in a walking boot after having foot surgery.

Ultimately, the good news is that the Chiefs avoided any of the major season-ending injuries during the course of training camp. It’s always the goal to get out of camp as healthy and this year it feels like they accomplished that goal.

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Chiefs injury, absence updates from Day 16 of training camp

The #Chiefs provided some injury updates on Mecole Hardman, Chris Jones and Jerick McKinnon after practice on Wednesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs held their sixteenth full training camp practice on Wednesday at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.

The Chiefs still had several players missing from practice on Wednesday. Those still missing from practice included TE Blake Bell (hip flexor) and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (sore knee). Bell missed his third practice, while Smith-Schuster missed his second practice. OT Lucas Niang (Knee) remains on the active/PUP list and out of practice as a result.

Two new absences from practice include LS James Winchester and RB Jerick McKinnon. With Winchester out of practice, RB Derrick Gore and TE Travis Kelce got snaps at long snapper during special teams work per Fox 4 Kansas City reporter Harold R. Kuntz. Winchester missed practice for personal reasons, while McKinnon has a strained hamstring.

During the course of practice, the team had two instances of key players leaving the practice field early via cart ride up the hill in St. Joe. First was DT Chris Jones, who left the practice field before the day of work even really got started. He left individual drills, walked to the cart under his own power, hopped in the front seat and left practice for the day. There was no apparent injury issue, but team PR confirmed after practice that Jones left with a sore back.

There was one apparent injury to occur during practice, however. WR Mecole Hardman left practice early after landing awkwardly during red zone team drills. He hobbled off the field with the help of the athletic training staff, who took a look at his left leg before sending him off the field in a cart. He walked to the front seat of the cart under his own power before leaving practice. The Chiefs confirmed that Hardman is dealing with a groin injury after practice. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says the team does not yet know how severe the injury is.

Only one training camp practice session remains before the team will head back to Kansas City and resume training at team facilities. Hopefully, that one has fewer instances of injury.

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Chiefs injury, absence updates from Day 15 of training camp

#Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster didn’t practice on Tuesday. More injury and absence updates here:

The Kansas City Chiefs held their fifteenth full training camp practice on Tuesday at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri. It was a humid and wet practice session.

Chiefs K Harrison Butker returned to practice after leaving early on Monday with ankle soreness, but his special teams counterpart Tommy Townsend was absent from practice. Reporters in attendance were told that Townsend is away dealing with a personal family matter.

Blake Bell (hip flexor) has missed his second consecutive practice. There were no updates on his status, but we should hear more from Coach Reid later this week. Also missing from practice on Tuesday was WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, who sat out with a sore knee according to a Chiefs public relations representative.

In other injury news, OT Lucas Niang (Knee) remains on the active/PUP list and out of practice. It’s looking increasingly likely that he begins the regular season on the reserve/PUP list.

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Chiefs injury, absence updates from Day 14 of training camp

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid provided injury updates on TE Blake Bell and K Harrison Butker at training camp practice on Monday. More info here:

The Kansas City Chiefs held their fourteenth training camp practice on Monday at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri. This is the final week of training camp before the team heads back to Kansas City ahead of the 2022 NFL season.

The injury list is surprisingly small after the first preseason game of the season. Derrick Gore left Saturday’s game with a neck injury, but he participated in practice according to those in attendance. Blake Bell, who left the game with a hip injury, has what Andy Reid described as an “unusual” hip flexor injury. The injury didn’t actually occur on the play that Bell went down on during the game.

“These hip flexors are — this particular one that he had is a little bit unusual,” Reid said of Bell’s injury. “So they’re going through and kind of looking at it and seeing where we go with it. I’ll have more later for you. . . It actually happened on his touchdown. It actually happened there and he felt like he could still go and he went back in and he went down. We’ll get it fixed up and go. We’ll see how that whole thing goes.”

During the course of practice, K Harrison Butker left practice with ankle soreness. Reid said that he thinks Butker will be, “OK.” This allowed S Justin Reid to get some work in during a special teams period.

In other injury news, OT Lucas Niang (Knee) remains on the active/PUP list and out of practice. DB Zayne Anderson (Shoulder) missed his practice after leaving early from last Tuesday’s practice with his injury. He didn’t play in the Bears game over the weekend.

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Chiefs injury, absence updates from Day 13 of training camp

The #Chiefs saw several players return to practice on Thursday, but there were also a few new absences. More here:

The Kansas City Chiefs held their thirteenth training camp practice on Thursday at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.

They had some good injury news to kick off the final practice session of the week ahead of the preseason opener against the Chicago Bears. Three players returned to practice after having missed practices recently with injury.

TE Jody Fortson (Quad) returned after having missed the past eight practices with his injury. DT Taylor Stallworth (Knee contusion) had missed four practices with his injury, but also returned to the practice field. Finally, WR Daurice Fountain (Groin) was back at practice after missing two days with his injury.

Only OT Lucas Niang (Knee) remains on the active/PUP list, but the team did have some other absences. WR Gary Jennings (concussion) has now missed six practice sessions with an injury. DB Zayne Anderson (Shoulder) is missing his first practice after leaving early from Tuesday’s practice with the injury. DE Frank Clark was absent from practice with sickness on Thursday, but it doesn’t seem to be serious.

During the course of practice, WR Omar Bayless was spotted in the medical tent. Andy Reid told reporters afterward that he left practice early with back tightness.

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