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TEMPE, Ariz .– Arizona Cardinals passer Chandler Jones wasn’t thinking of the potential financial windfall during his five-sack performance Sunday against the Tennessee Titans that kicked off the final season of his contract.
Or was he?
“I wasn’t thinking about getting the ball back, so [quarterback] Kyler [Murray] can go score another touchdown, to be honest with you, ”Jones said of his fourth sack.
Then Jones winked, which said it all.
It’s the final chapter of the start of the ninth NFL season for the 31-year-old, who missed OTAs and minicamp over the summer to protest wanting either an overtime or a new one. contract. He said on Wednesday he had requested an exchange, but referred all questions about the request to general manager Steve Keim and his agents, Joe Panos and Ethan Lock.
Jones, who is expected to earn $ 15.5 million this season, said he will let his agents take care of the business side of his career while he plays.
“I’m just playing football, honestly,” Jones said. “I just let my agent take care of that – the contract situation – but this is the last year of my contract and I let that take care of itself.”
Jones, who has led the NFL in the sacks since joining the league in 2012, said it was “to his advantage” not to hold out during training camp.
“As far as the season goes, I think doing your job is essential, putting the team first, ignoring noise and managing expectations,” Jones said.
Jones, who had 19 sacks in 2019, suffered a season-ending bicep injury in Week 5 last season, registering just one sack. Starting with five sacks on Sunday, Jones is well positioned to run another run in the single-season sack record (22.5), set by Michael Strahan in 2001.
“My goal is to do better than the year before,” Jones said when asked about the record. “So whatever it is, I hope I can do better than I did last year, just being consistent.”
As free agency looms, for now Jones is trying to block his contractual situation as best he can.
“I think I played better when I’m not thinking about the deal or the contract,” Jones said. “Is it something that, I mean, [I think about] off the field? Yes, I mean, of course. I don’t know where I’m going to live next year. But in the same situation, I think, when the season starts, I tell my agent to put it all aside, you take care of it.
“If you want to talk about it, you talk about it. As far as I’m concerned, I’m going to play, and I’m going to play my best football, and we’ll see what happens next.”
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