As of Saturday, September 30th, the Las Vegas Raiders have released defensive end Chandler Jones. This decision comes after Jones’s arrest in Las Vegas on Friday where he allegedly violated a domestic violence temporary protective order. Prior to his arrest, Jones had a rather unsettling month on social media. Specifically, this past Monday he explained to his following that he was taken to the hospital against his will by the Las Vegas Fire Department and subsequently transferred to a behavioral health facility where he received forced “injections and medications.” [1] Jones wrote “”I haven’t done anything wrong. The police said people were concerned about me because of my posts online.” Later in the week he went “live” speaking in real-time making random, uncorroborated claims while casually sitting outside of his house. After his Thursday night arrest, Jones posted bond on Friday. He is due back in court on December 4th. [2] After Thursday’s arrest, the Raiders released a statement saying they hoped Jones “receives the care that he needs.” [3]
Jones played for the Patriots from 2012 until 2015. He was part of the 2015 Super Bowl win that the Patriots franchise brought home. After that season, Jones joined the Arizona Cardinals where he played until 2021 before his move to the Raiders.
The Raiders went on a spending spree last offseason when they signed Jones to a three year contract worth $51 million. The contract has $32 million in guarantees and a $12 million signing bonus, according to Over the Cap. [4] Jones was 32 years old at the time he signed the contract, but he had recently completed a great season with 10.5 sacks. Further, Jones had been coached by defensive coordinator Patrick Graham during the 2012-2013 season when they were both in New England. It made sense to add Jones to the Raiders defensive line. Jones is currently in his second year of that three-year contract. However, Jones has not been with the Raiders since Labor Day weekend when he made multiple posts to his social media accounts that were directed toward the Raiders team, Mark Davis – the Raiders owner – and General Manager, Dave Ziegler and Head Coach, Josh McDaniels. Shortly thereafter, on September 20th, the Raiders placed Jones on the non-football injury/illness list. [Id.] Last week, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that Raiders players, as well as other players throughout the league, have shared concerns over Jones and his wellbeing.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that professional athletes, even the superbly great ones, are sometimes battling bigger problems. In fact, this has become such an issue in recent years that the NFL and the NFLPA have appointed a board of experts to the Comprehensive Mental Health and Wellness Committee. This committee develops educational programs for players, coaches, club personnel, and players’ family members regarding mental health and wellness. The committee’s main goals are to normalize accessing behavioral health resources to players, and all members of the player ecosystem, including staff and significant others, increase utilization of behavioral health resources, create tailored behavioral health programming specific to the player journey (both within and away from the team), and assist in fostering a club culture that ensures a community-wide, holistic approach to care. [5] Based on the foregoing, it’s likely that the NFL, the Raiders organization, and Chandler Jones will work out some sort of agreement where all parties feel heard, seen, and understood.
Notably, because Jones was released before the trade deadline, he will become a free agent immediately. However, due to the recent developments, it is highly unlikely that another team will be eager to pick him up. [6] Time will tell; it always does.
[2] https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38528896/raiders-releasing-de-chandler-jones-source-says
[4] https://www.the-sun.com/sport/9178631/chandler-jones-contract-las-vegas-raiders/
Photo Credit: The Associated Press
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