Chris Jones Fines: What We Know About the Financial Cost of His Holdout

While Travis Kelce's knee injury has stolen much of Chiefs Kingdom's collective stress, Chris Jones and his holdout have dominated the offseason.

Each passing day brings a renewed round of speculation: What's going on with the defensive tackle? When will he be back? How will his absence affect Kansas City?

But each day had previously brought something else to the table: a new fine.

Those penalties have stopped piling up, but they've been replaced by new financial hits. The lineman, whether you support his position or not, is prepared to put his own money on the line.

But how much has he exactly lost? And what's on the horizon if he continues to stay at home? Let's check it all out.

Jones' Daily Preseason Fines Are Finished

While contractual law might not be the most exciting subject around, NFL players are subject to both the terms of their specific deals and the larger collective bargaining agreement. The latter is what dictated Jones' training camp fines.

As laid out by Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Article 42, Section 1(b)(vi) of the CBA says that any player who misses training camp faces a mandatory $50,000 fine for each day they're AWOL.

So while Jones paid those fines, they no longer apply. Florio noted that the penalties extend from the first reporting date through the last Sunday before the regular season begins. That's six weeks, and $50,000 per day across that span works out to $2.1 million.

Is Chris Jones Sill Being Fined?

If we're talking about the standard connotation of fines, then the answer is no.

At this point, Jones' daily fines have stopped piling up because the preseason—and therefore the window in which you can be penalized for failing to report—is over.

That doesn't mean he's completely off the hook, though. The big tackle will still be forfeiting some cash until he rejoins the team.

Where's that money coming from? Let's explore that further.

Jones Lost His Workout Bonus, and Game Checks Will Follow

When you delve into the nuts and bolts of NFL contracts, plenty of cash is tied up in bonuses. That can benefit both teams and players, but, in this case, it cost Jones a bit of money.

According to both journalist Albert Breer and Spotrac, the Mississippi State product had a $500,000 workout bonus in his contract for this season. That money would have been paid had Jones taken part in offseason workouts, but he did not report and left the cash on the table.

Beyond that, the lineman will lose his game check for each weekend he's absent. That's fairly intuitive, as you wouldn't expect your salary if you didn't show up to work.

Breer noted that each game check is worth a shade over $1 million, making a week of regular season absence technically cheaper than seven days on the sidelines during training camp. With that being said, though, no one is ever going to be thrilled about giving up a paycheck.

The Chiefs Can Also Withhold a Bit More Money, Even When Jones Reports

Think Jones returning to the roster will make the penalties go away? That's not automatically the case.

Since the lineman didn't report at the start of the season, the Chiefs can use a roster exemption on him when he does return. That means that KC can keep Jones sidelined for up to two weeks while he gets up to speed after missing training camp. As you might expect, he wouldn't be paid for those extra weeks on the sideline.

Would the club use that option? Probably not, given the tackle's importance to the team, but there's no guarantee.

What Has Jones Said About Fines and Financials?

During the holdout, we've heard from Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and others that there hasn't been much communication with Jones. The lineman does occasionally share tidbits on social media, although you could wonder if he's being genuine or stirring the pot.

One of those posts, though, did share a perspective on the financials.

In August, Jones suggested that he could sit out until Week 8 of the regular season. When X, formerly known as Twitter, user Arrowhead Live observed that the tackle would be facing a "hefty tab." The tackle responded saying, "I can afford it."

So, while Tweets usually need to be taken with a grain of salt, the tackle seems to know what he's signing up for.

A New Contract Makes All the Costs Largely Irrelevant

Ultimately, the point of Jones' holdout is to land a big-money contract extension ASAP. If that materializes, it will resolve any financial issues on two different levels.

First and most obviously, a new deal ends the holdout. Once the lineman rejoins the team, he'll be able to start collecting his salary again.

But, on a larger level, a new deal will mean Jones can essentially eat any losses that he took in the process.

According to Spotrac, he was already set to take home $20 million during the 2023 campaign. While there's some disagreement about the exact contract he's after, a new deal would undoubtedly provide a raise.

Even if he's not taking home Aaron Donald-level money, a wage somewhere in the area of $30 million will make a few million dollars' worth of fines and lost wages seem like small potatoes. Multiply that new salary by the length of a deal, and Jones is still positioned to come out on top.

As sports fans, it's easy to focus on what happens during the games. Ultimately, though, it's money that makes the world go round.