The Las Vegas Raiders are dealing with some drama just days ahead of their first game of the 2023 season.
Veteran pass-rusher Chandler Jones shared a series of messages on his Instagram story Tuesday indicating he is unhappy with the Raiders. Jones said he does not want to play for the team if Josh McDaniels is head coach and Dave Ziegler is general manager.
Jones also accused the Raiders of trying to “provoke” him. The 33-year-old claimed the Raiders have locked him out of the team facility and he has had to work out at a local gym instead. Jones also wrote that the Raiders contacted his “BM,” which likely stands for baby momma.
The posts were deleted, but you can see screenshots below. Beware that they contain inappropriate language.
𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 #Raiders DE Chandler Jones says: "I don't wanna play for the Raiders if my HC, or GM… " on IG.
It seems he's not able to get in the #Raiders gym and has to go to a local gym instead and the team contacted his ex-girlfriend who hasn't been with for 5 years
Weird.. pic.twitter.com/MmDKuXB8Ds
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 5, 2023
“F— it, I don’t wanna play for the Raiders if that’s my HC or GM,” Jones wrote (edited by LBS for profanity).
Jones signed a 3-year, $51 million contract with the Raiders last offseason. The two sides restructured the deal back in April to create salary cap space, so it would stand to reason that things were fine between them then.
Jones was drafted in the first round by the New England Patriots back in 2012. He had a productive four years with the team before being traded to the Arizona Cardinals prior to the 2016 season. The move came not long after reports of some troubling off-field behavior.
The trade worked out well for the Cardinals, as Jones made three of his four Pro Bowls in Arizona and had a career-high 19 sacks in 2019.
It is unclear what reason the Raiders would have to lock Jones out of their facility, but an unexpected storyline will now dominate the headlines heading into their season opener against the Denver Broncos.
