Wide receiver Kadarius Toney has recovered from knee surgery and will be on the field Thursday night when the Kansas City Chiefs open the season against the Detroit Lions. Defensive tackle Chris Jones is another story.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Sunday that Toney is “good to go” after missing most of training camp since arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee on July 25.
As for Jones, who is holding out in a contract dispute, he did not report to practice again Sunday.
“I don’t know when he’s coming or not coming,” Reid said.
Jones, 29, has been incurring daily fines of $50,000 since the start of training camp. He said on social media last month that he can afford to forfeit his weekly game checks and is prepared to sit out until Week 8.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Jones has one season remaining on the four-year, $80 million contract he signed with the Chiefs in 2020. He’s scheduled to make a base salary of $19.5 million this season, plus bonuses.
Jones finished third in Defensive Player of the Year balloting last season after matching his career best of 15.5 sacks. The two-time Super Bowl champion has 65 sacks in 107 games (86 starts) over seven NFL seasons with the Chiefs.
As for Toney, 24, he had 16 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns in nine games split between the New York Giants and Chiefs last season. The Chiefs acquired Toney from the Giants on Oct. 27 in exchange for a compensatory third-round pick and a sixth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Toney’s biggest moments with Kansas City came in the 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. Toney set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt return that set up a fourth-quarter touchdown. He also caught a 5-yard scoring pass earlier in the final period.
–Field Level Media
