Eric Berry skips mandatory minicamp

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry is not at mandatory minicamp.

The Chiefs had most of their players on the field Tuesday afternoon for the first day of mandatory minicamp, with the notable exception of Eric Berry. Berry, 27, was given the franchise tag this offseason, basically putting him on a one-year, $10.8 million contact should he accept it.

However, Berry has not signed the franchise tender and therefore remains a free agent, although under team control. The only way Berry could leave is if the Chiefs rescinded the tag (a la Josh Norman) or did not match another team’s offer. If the latter happened, Kansas City would receive two first-round picks.

Berry has until July 15 to come to terms on a long-term deal with the Chiefs, or he has to play out the season on the tag. You might remember a lot of similar rhetoric about this situation, harkening back to the Justin Houston negotiation last summer.

Houston’s situation was seen as much more tenuous, and the sides still agreed to a six-year contract worth in excess of $101 million. Berry is going to be signed by general manager John Dorsey at some point, likely on the deadline date. Until then, don’t expect to see Berry.