What’s going on between Chandler Jones and the Las Vegas Raiders?
While there remains a lot to unpack in terms of what’s going on between the pass rusher and his team, it’s clear that things are definitely not OK.
As the saga between the Las Vegas Raiders and the veteran edge rusher continues, things have taken on a new light with the edge rusher claiming that the team sent a crisis response team to his home.
What’s going on with Chandler Jones and the Raiders?
Allow us to bring you up to speed. As they prepare to open their season against the Denver Broncos, it’s clear that not all is well with the Las Vegas Raiders and one of their veteran players. On Tuesday, defensive end Chandler Jones had some very harsh things to say about his team in a series of now-deleted posts on Instagram. Indeed, Jones appeared to direct his barbs at head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler as he seemingly suggested that he no longer wished to play for the team.
It didn’t stop there either. On Wednesday night, Jones took to social media once again where he posted a photo of what appeared to be the badge of a member of the Las Vegas Crisis Response Team, as he explained that the team had been sent to his house by the team. Additionally, the former Patriots first-round pick (2012) posted photos of a purported conversation between himself and McDaniels. The exchange in question appears to be from mid-August when he was absent from training camp due to an injury. Further to that there were also posts in which he asked why he was not with the team, having been away from it for the previous two days. “ANYBODY INTERVIEW THEM AND ASK WHY I’M NOT ON WITH THE TEAM?” Jones posted. “BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW”
What have the Raiders said about Chandler Jones?
Though he was not scheduled to meet with the media on Thursday, McDaniels did say on Wednesday that the Raiders are “taking it one day at a time” where Jones’ status is concerned. “It’s a personal situation and a private matter,” McDaniels said. “We have dealt with it and I am not going to talk about it.” Of course, it’s worth noting that Jones’ posts on Tuesday included a reference to the idea that he was barred from the team. “They won’t let me in the building [though],” he said before stating that the team was trying to “provoke” him. Further to that, Jones also posted a picture of an apparent text message that he sent to McDaniels, saying, “It’s a shame that I am a top athlete with 112 sacks in the NFL and I have to go to a local gym to work out during the season for no apparent reason this is wild to me Josh and you know it you need to do what’s right.”
What’s next for the Raiders and Chandler Jones?
That’s a tough one to call. On the one hand, the 33-year-old has deleted all of these posts which would suggest that at the very least, he’s aware he crossed a line. On the other hand, we can’t unsee them, which is to say his public rant will have to be addressed by the team. This is of course a sharp turnaround from the post that Jones made on Monday when he posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Year 12! LFG!” along with “Can’t wait to play this year! Feelin great in practice!” What happened between Monday and Tuesday is anybody’s guess but here’s the thing: Chandler Jones is a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro-Bowler who does in fact have 112 sacks to his name in 154 games played, which puts him at No. 26 on the all-time sack list. That’s to say, surely the Raiders will want to do all they can to ensure a player like that is happy where he is. Watch this space.