We’re less than a week until the start of the NFL regular season and the Kansas City Chiefs have a problem: Their best defensive player, one of the best in the game, isn’t under contract.

Defensive lineman Chris Jones has been holding out. Reports have said he wants $30 million per year. He has hinted he’s willing to sit out until Week 8. This is all terrible for the Chiefs, whose defense with Jones is good but not great. Without him, it could get ugly.

The importance of Jones isn’t lost on one of the team’s other superstars. Tight end Travis Kelce begged Jones to end his holdout.

“Chris, can you please come back? You’re really scaring me,” Kelce said on the “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, via Pro Football Talk.

“I don’t get it. You must know something that I don’t know because I just don’t get it. I really want to get another Super Bowl ring with you, brother. This is me bargaining you to just come back and play football for the Chiefs. Please, we need you. We need you bad.”

The Chiefs without a doubt require Jones. For the majority of his career, Jones has been underappreciated, but the Chiefs’ most recent run to the Super Bowl has helped highlight Jones’ power. One of the top defensive linemen in the competition, he excels.

The NFL season begins next Thursday night with Kansas City against the Detroit Lions. If Jones isn’t starting, a strong offense will pose a threat to Kansas City.

“He’s the best defensive player in the league right now,” Kelce said on the podcast. “He’s deserving of all the money in the world. Chris, I love you, please come back. Now.”

The Chiefs are days away from starting their Super Bowl defense. The fact that they could be without their best defensive player doesn’t seem to be getting enough attention. But Kelce understands what it means.

Kansas City Chiefs’ Chris Jones (95) is holding out, and Travis Kelce (87) is hoping he returns soon.