The Kansas City Chiefs paid a hefty price (in draft picks) to obtain left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who was on the final year of his rookie deal last season, but now the two sides have until Friday to reach a new long-term agreement or Brown will have to play on the franchise tag, and time is running out.
As NFL Insider Mike Garofolo reported on Tuesday, Brown’s representatives and the Chiefs are “far from” reaching a new long-term deal. According to reports, Brown is asking to become the highest-paid left tackle in the National Football League, which is $23 million per year.
“He and his representation have spoken to the Chiefs in recent days regarding a potential [new contract], which must be done before Friday,” said Garafolo. “Otherwise, he can only play on the one-year franchise tender.”
“I spoke to Jammal Brown, the former NFL offensive tackle who is serving as a mentor for Orlando. He said that the sides are nowhere close on a deal — and that they’re not just going to, ‘Do a deal just to do a deal.’ Jammal Brown did not get into specifics, but my understanding is the offers to Orlando Brown — who wants to be paid at the top of the left tackle market, which is $23 million per year — are more in line with the top of the right tackle market.”
While the Chiefs are reportedly willing to pay Brown top-tier left tackle money, they do not want to reset the league market for veteran left tackles.
Brown has previously said that he is not against holding out of training camp going into the start of the regular season.
“Here is the rub: If there is no long-term deal, I’m not expecting Orlando Brown for the start of training camp — or really, any time during training camp. That is my understanding. Remember: he hasn’t signed the [franchise] tag, so he can’t be fined if he’s not there.” “Even Week 1 is in question,” he continued. “So let’s see how this plays out over the next couple of days. Like I said, the sides [are] far apart. I’m not expecting a deal — and that could have ripple effects for Patrick Mahomes’ blind side protector down the line.”
This is a sticky situation for the Chiefs. After sending a 2021 first-round pick, a 2021 third-round pick, a 2021 fourth-round pick, and a 2022 fifth-round pick to Baltimore for the 26-year-old tackle, it makes sense they’d prefer to see their bold move to give up a load of draft capital result in a long-term investment.
Garfolo’s report doesn’t necessarily mean Brown and the Chiefs won’t eventually agree on a new deal. However, the two sides must reach an agreement by 3 p.m. central on Friday, and right now, that doesn’t seem very likely.
So what happens if Brown and the Chiefs can’t come to an agreement by the 3 p.m. deadline on Friday? Well, there are a few scenarios that could play out.
- Brown plays under the franchise tag.
More than likely, Brown will sign the franchise tender the team gave him back in March, worth $16.7 million, and spend the 2022 season in Kansas City.
Theoretically, Brown can sign his franchise tender, report to camp, turn in a stout 2022 season, and return to the Chiefs’ front office to resume contract talks in 2023.
- Brown refuses to sign the franchise tag.
While most players don’t sign the franchise tag until some point after the July 15 deadline, Brown is under no obligation to sign. However, not signing a franchise tag means a team retains its rights to that player. The play can not sign with another team, and the player will have until the end of Week 10 to sign, or he’ll be forced to sit out the entire season, and that team will be allowed to franchise tag that player again. In other words, it’s in Brown’s best interest to eventually sign the franchise tag at some point.
That being said, as long as Brown doesn’t sign the tag, he is not obligated to attend training camp and will not be fined for missing any of it. While Brown will likely take his time, he’s expected to eventually sign the franchise if a new deal isn’t reached.
- Brown signs with another team
Since the Chiefs placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Brown, he is technically allowed to negotiate contracts with other clubs. If another team offers a contract to Brown, the Chiefs will have five days to match the offer. If that happens, Brown is obligated to sign with Kansas City. If the Chiefs do not match the offer, Brown can sign with that team, but the club would have to give Kansas City two first-round draft selections.
That being said, this is a far less-likely scenario because this can only happen before the 3 p.m. Friday afternoon deadline. After it passes, Brown can only sign with the Chiefs.
- The Chiefs trade Brown to another team.
If Brown signs his franchise tender, the Chiefs have to option to trade Brown to another club. However, this is another unlikely scenario because most trades dealing with players who were handed a franchise tag typically get done early during the offseason. So, if this were plausible, it would’ve already happened long ago.
Only time will tell.
