Byron Pringle receives well-deserved tender from K.C. Chiefs
By Matt Conner
With the NFL’s looming deadline set for Thursday for teams to figure out what they will do with their restricted free agents, the K.C. Chiefs have made it official that they’re willing to pay a bit to protect their interests in wide receiver Byron Pringle. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Chiefs have tendered Pringle to keep him from hitting unrestricted free agency.
Byron Pringle had 13 catches on 17 targets last year for 160 receiving yards in limited offensive duties. His primary value to the club came on special teams where he was a dynamic returner who even put together a 102-yard touchdown run against the Denver Broncos at midseason. Given the losses of Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson in free agency, Pringle also has a real chance to showcase more of his skills on offense in 2021.
Though nothing is official yet, the assumption here is that Pringle will receive an original round tender, which basically gives the team the right of first refusal in any contract offer that Pringle receives on the open market. Any team can negotiate with Pringle, but the Chiefs have the chance to match or refuse that deal after a few days to think about it.
Byron Pringle earns RFA tender from the K.C. Chiefs.
If the Chiefs put a higher round tender out there for Pringle, then it would mean that any team signing Pringle away would not only have to pay him but they would also owe the Chiefs a first- or second-round pick (depending on the tender) if they were to lure Pringle away. Of course, the Chiefs could still match in those instances, but the cost to the Chiefs could get quite a bit higher depending on the tender placed.
If Pringle receives an original round tender, then that means he will be slated to make either $2.13 million next season or the value of a new contract signed—whichever is higher. The tender just provides a way for the restricted free agent to have a predictable pay day that likely represents a serious raise. For Pringle, that raise would represent approximately $1.5 million after making just under $600K last season with the Chiefs.