Orlando Brown says he’s unaware of any contract extension progress with Chiefs

If you ask Orlando Brown Jr. about his long-term financial security—and someone just did among reporters covering the Kansas City Chiefs—he’ll have a team-first answer: namely that he’s only worried about improving as a football player to help his team win.

The rest, Brown says, will take care of itself and he’s not concerned about timing or progress.

When the Chiefs struck a deal with the Baltimore Ravens to trade away their first-round pick in exchange for Brown (and other elements in play that were part of the exchange), it was the answer to the giant question at left tackle. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach had attempted to woo Trent Williams away from the San Francisco 49ers in free agency as his white whale, but he couldn’t reel him in. That left a team searching for a new anchor after releasing Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.

Shortly before the 2021 NFL Draft was set to take place, the Chiefs were able to work out agreeable terms with the Ravens front office and they found their long-term answer—at least that was the assumption despite the single season remaining on Brown’s deal. No one has said anything otherwise since.

Orlando Brown Jr. says he’s not aware of any progress made during the season so far of a contract extension.

Technically, Brown is in a contract year, playing out the final season of his rookie deal after being drafted in the third round by the Ravens back in the 2018 draft class. Rookie deals are all slotted four-year agreements set by the league’s collective bargaining agreement, which means Brown is scheduled to hit free agency next March—unless the Chiefs can reach a deal with him before then.

Many young players might worry about finding long-term security or take it as an affront if an extension is not offered them coming into that final year. Many franchises might also worry about creating tension or even increasing the chances of losing a young asset to the open market. Neither side, in this instance, seems remotely concerned about those things.

On Wednesday, Brown took to the podium to answer questions from reporters and he was asked at the last minute about the state of contractual talks, if any, between his representatives and the Chiefs on a long-term deal. Brown didn’t seem aware of anything and shrugged off the idea of even worrying about it.

“Not that I know of,” Brown said. “Right now, my focus is just focusing on my game, focusing on making this team better, making sure I’m good to go. My agent and Veach and all of them… they’ll figure that out.” When a reporter followed up asking if he was okay with that, he nodded while adding, “Yeah, I’m just working, man. Like I said, I’m focusing on ball right now.”

The Chiefs have a lot of on-field concerns to worry about, and there’s a reason why a player hires representation in the first place—to free up the player by taking care of these sorts of details. Brown is working on his game at left tackle with a young unit that’s improving from left to right with each passing week. Brown knows that if he can just focus on getting better and helping the Chiefs win, this team will make it worth his while to stay for the long haul.