Chandler Jones, a pass-rusher with the Las Vegas Raiders, called out owner Mark Davis on Friday while he was away from the team.
Jones took to X, now known as Twitter, and posted, “I wish Mark Davis told people why I can’t play.”
The Raiders benched Jones for last weekend’s 17-16 victory against the Denver Broncos after Jones posted and erased several Instagram postings critical of the Raiders organization, according to Mark Anderson of the Associated Press.
Jones posted nasty comments about head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler after claiming to be kept out of the team facilities and forced to work out at a local gym, threatening to reveal information on McDaniels.
Last Wednesday, Jones posted that the Raiders dispatched a member of the Las Vegas crisis response team to his home, writing: “Raiders sent her to my apartment, stated… ‘You need to come with us. “You are in danger.”
According to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, McDaniels didn’t say much about Jones’ issue before the game last week, referring to it as a “private matter.”
With Jones out, rookie No. 7 overall draft pick Tyree Wilson played more than expected across from Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby, recording one tackle last week.
Jones, 33, agreed to a three-year, $51 million contract with the Raiders in free agency last year after playing the previous six seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.
Jones has 112 sacks in 154 career regular-season games for the New England Patriots, Cardinals, and Raiders, ranking him 26th on the all-time NFL official list and 37th on the unofficial list.
Jones, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, finished second in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2019 after leading the league with a career-high 19 sacks.
The one-time Super Bowl champion started all 15 games for the Raiders last season, totaling 4.5 sacks, a career low for a season in which he played more than five games.
Jones’ most memorable play last season was against his previous team, the Patriots, in Week 14.
When time expired in regulation with the score tied at 24-24, New England attempted a tricky lateral play, which Jones intercepted and returned 48 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
Assuming Jones is again out for Sunday’s road game against the Buffalo Bills, Wilson and Crosby should get the majority of the pass-rush reps.
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