The clock is ticking for the Kansas City Chiefs and Chris Jones to end the contract stalemate and get the star defensive tackle on the field for Thursday's season-opening kickoff against the Detroit Lions.
For Chiefs players, however, they must proceed in their prep and can't worry about Jones' status.
"At this point, you kind of just prepare to play the game with the guys that are in the building and let the front office handle that," quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Sunday, via the official transcript. "We've got a tough test with the Detroit Lions, and we're going to focus on how we can win with the guys that are here."
Jones' elongated holdout -- which has already cost him -- has surprised teammates, with Mahomes noting weeks ago that he didn't anticipate the DT's contract situation to linger this long.
It's gotten to the point where Jones might miss Thursday's opener.
"I can't tell you (if he absolutely won't play Thursday)," head coach Andy Reid said Sunday. "I don't know. I don't know what his agenda is or when he's coming or not coming. But we're rolling right now. I haven't put much thought into that part."
Reid was asked if he'd ever envisioned the impasse putting Week 1 in jeopardy.
"You're never sure how it's going to work out," he said. "You're dealing with too many people on this type of thing, so these things can go either direction. Again, I don't spend a lot of time on it. I had 90 guys in the offseason that we needed to make sure we're going in the right direction. Now we're getting ready to play a game, and you're either here or not here. That's how I go about it."
For now, Jones is not there. With Kickoff Week upon us, the days are dwindling for the situation to resolve itself before meaningful action is missed.
