Chandler Jones Blasts Raiders on IG, Says He Doesn’t Want to Play for Josh McDaniels

Five days away from his team’s Week 1 game, Chandler Jones appears to be unhappy with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The four-time Pro Bowl defensive end used his Instagram Stories to sound off about the organization. He apparently couldn’t get into the team’s gym and also said he “don’t wanna play for the Raiders” as long as Josh McDaniels is head coach and Dave Ziegler is general manager.

The vibes around the Raiders don’t seem great going into the season. In a profile by The Ringer’s Mirin Fader from early in the offseason, Davante Adams suggested he wasn’t thrilled about the state of things with the organization.

“I’m going to have to buy into this and try to be as optimistic as possible,” Adams said. “It’s not what I expected to happen, but it’s something that’s the reality now.”

Obviously, the change in quarterback from Derek Carr to Jimmy Garoppolo was going to have an impact on Adams. It wasn’t a secret that he’s good friends with Carr dating back to the three seasons they played together at Fresno State.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano recently speculated Adams could become a trade candidate by midseason if the offense struggles with Garoppolo at the helm.

Jones’ issue looks to be something else entirely, but it certainly puts the Raiders in an awkward position right before the season begins. He signed a three-year, $51 million deal with Las Vegas as a free agent in March 2022.

The deal reunited Jones and McDaniels after they spent four seasons together with the New England Patriots from 2012 to ’15. He had 15 quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks in 15 starts in his first season with the Raiders.

McDaniels is entering his second season as Raiders head coach. He led the team to a 6-11 record in 2022.

Jones restructured his contract in April to lower his base salary to $1.165 million this season, but he still counts $14.2 million against the cap. The 33-year-old has a $25.9 million dead cap figure if the Raiders decide to move on.

Las Vegas will open the season on Sunday against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field.