Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones is done for the year, according to head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Jones was hoping to avoid it, but he’s now set to undergo season-ending biceps surgery. 
Jones, 30, managed 19 sacks in 2019 and led the league with eight forced fumbles. A first-round pick of the Patriots back in 2012, Jones hasn’t missed a game since joining the Cardinals in 2016. Before the injury, Jones started a perfect 69 games in a row. That streak is now over — ditto for his run of four straight seasons with at least eleven sacks.
Arizona is above .500 and in the thick of the NFC playoff hunt, but two of their three wins have come against the likes of the Washington Football Team and the Jets. They’ve looked bad in their two losses to the Lions and Panthers, and reserves like Jordan Phillips won’t be able to replace Jones’ production.
Jones was hoping to start extension talks with the Cardinals sometime soon, but those discussions will be tabled for a while. The veteran, 31 in February, is under contract for 2021 with a $15.5MM base salary.
The Cardinals – sans Jones – will face the Cowboys on Monday night.
This certainly hurts. As the article mentions, Arizona is pretty barren in the pass-rushing department beyond Jones. Although, he has not performed up to his elite expectations thus far this season. I don’t know if this is a sign of age or just the result of a small sample size, but I would definitely table extension talks if I were Arizona.
I doubt the Cardinals can still make the postseason even with the extra playoff spot. Their potential is limitless, but more development needs to take place first. Simmons is still raw, Murray a bit inconsistent, and the defense just lacks depth as an overall unit. The future outlook is bright, but the NFC West just looks too daunting.
Unrelated, but is there a reason the comments for the Bell article are blocked?
wagner13 – if i had to guess i think they blocked off the comments for the Bell article because they were late to the game and most of the posts would be critical or questioning why it took close to 12 hrs to post. Just a guess.
Probably. I wish people could refrain from such criticism. It is evident to most followers of the website that news is typically reported once officially confirmed and within a 12-hour period, beginning at roughly 9. Considering most people already knew about the Bell news, there was really no reason to rush a lackluster article without quality content. By waiting, PFR provided us with a more in-depth piece. Not to mention, the site is free, so anything provided should be considered a gift
I agree with you to a point but think they probably could have thrown up a “more to come” type article stating he was being released and then filled in the blanks this morning. It is a rumors site not always a news site and no harm would have come from early reporting. Hell I found out about it watching the Titans game not like they had to present it as a scoop.
Why are the comments closed on the Bell article? Did I miss a controversial story about him or something?
No, nothing missed. Other than the fact the story broke last night and they don’t want people bashing them for not posting it on here until today.