Chandler Jones Requests Trade From Arizona Cardinals (Report)
Former Syracuse defensive end and current Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Chandler Jones has requested a trade, according to a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
"Jones has been unhappy with his contract and missed offseason work as a result," Fowler wrote. "The Cardinals don't want to trade Jones and expect him to report to training camp, which begins Tuesday. Jones, 31, plans to have a big year coming off surgery on his right biceps, and the Cardinals believe he's excited to play alongside new acquisition J.J. Watt despite past unhappiness. A source said Jones is viewed as a "great guy" in the organization and is set to be a pivotal part of the Cardinals' defense this year. The team generally does not publicly discuss contract details regarding its players."
AllCardinals.com, the Arizona Cardinals site on the FanNation network powered by Sports Illustrated, has more insight on the situation.
"The tweet makes the situation sound dire, but it’s surely reasonable to figure that Jones’ trade request was done within the context of wanting to be somewhere else if the Cardinals refuse to do anything agreeable on his contract.
Since being traded to the Cardinals in 2016 when he was in the final year of his contract with the New England Patriots, Jones has been an All-Pro twice and in two Pro Bowls. He was in the Pro Bowl once with the Patriots in his first five seasons.
Jones is entering the final year of an $82.5 million contract of which he has been paid $67. His 2021 salary of $15.5 million has no guaranteed money.
While Jones did not participate in the team’s OTAs and minicamp last month, he was present for photo and video sessions used by the team for promotion purposes."
Jones has been one of the NFL's best pass rushers since entering the league in 2012. He has 97 sacks during his career, and has hit double digits in six of his nine seasons. Jones only had one last year due to an injury that forced him to miss the last 11 games.
A runner up for Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 when he led the NFL with 19 sacks, Jones was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. After winning a Super Bowl with the Pats, he was traded to the Cardinals prior to the 2016 season.
