KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Looking for a reason to be optimistic about the Kansas City Chiefs’ negotiations with Chris Jones?
Look away.
The Chiefs sent a sixth-round pick to Las Vegas in exchange for defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. a little more than three hours before the NFL-imposed deadline for teams to trim rosters to 53 players, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Farrell, a fourth-round pick by the Raiders in the 2022 NFL Draft, made 12 tackles in nine games last season as a rookie.
He’s a 6-foot-4, 325-pound former LSU standout.
Farrell, a native of North Carolina, started his college career at defensive end before moving inside as a fifth-year senior, recording two sacks and 9 1/2 tackles for a loss that season.
Here’s my report on Neil Farrell when he was coming out in the 2022 NFL Draft pic.twitter.com/Skf95MKc3d
— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) August 29, 2023
The Chiefs also reportedly released veteran defensive tackle Danny Shelton, who dropped more than 10 pounds and looked more nimble on the interior during training camp compared to last season, per Schefter.
Safety Deon Bush also was a cutdown-day casualty, according to Schefter.
Kansas City traded wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette to Carolina earlier in the day. The deal included a conditional swap of seventh-round picks.
Jones, a finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season, has led the Chiefs in sacks each of the last five seasons. That includes 15 1/2 sacks last season, which tied a career high.
With only one year remaining on a four-year deal worth more than $80 million he signed before the 2020 season, Jones has skipped all offseason work with the team in hopes of securing a new long-term contract.
Jones has incurred at least $1.85 million in fines under terms of the CBA during the holdout.
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