REPORT: Top Player From Raiders Bitter Rival Wants to Skip Some of Training Camp

The Las Vegas Raiders are motivated to play the 2024 season for Coach Antonio Pierce. Meanwhile, their bitter rival, Kansas City, continues to make headlines this offseason.

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) warms up before Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders will be ready to play for head coach Antonio Pierce when training camp starts. In fact, they have been ready. Pierce has the organization inspired and unified, moving in the direction of his vision and willing to compete.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be starting training camp in a few weeks, too. However, they could be short a player. A key one. All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, possibly the best in the league post-Aaron Donald, told The Kansas City Star's Jesse Newell that he is trying to get time off during training camp. He said he's already discussed it with head coach Andy Reid.

"'Let me skip out on training camp. I'm a little older, right?'" Jones said. "I can feel it. I can feel when we have a day on training camp. Give me like two days off and one day on then, and we maybe can work something out, you know? ... He just looked at me. So the conversation is still ongoing."

Reid has yet to give the defensive star an answer. Last season, Jones missed camp, preseason games, and Week 1 of the regular season due to an extensive contract holdout that was not resolved until September.

Jones will be 30 years old on July 3rd. He is coming off of back-to-back All-Pro selections. Jones has 75.5 sacks and 175 quarterback hits in his eight-year career. Entering Year 9, he has three Super Bowl championships to his name along with his two first-team All-Pro selections and five Pro Bowl selections.

After Donald's retirement this offseason, Jones was ranked the No. 1 defensive tackle in the league by Pro Football Focus, multiple spots ahead of the Raiders' Christian Wilkins.

"With Aaron Donald having retired, the player who has been closest to him over the past few years takes over the throne," PFF wrote. "The best thing you can say about Chris Jones is that he had been bridging the gap between Donald and everybody else in the league. Over the past two seasons, Jones has the highest pressure rate at the position and 24 more pressures than any other interior defender."

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