Orlando Brown Jr.’s extension talks should be painless for KC Chiefs

On Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs placed the franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., as expected. It was a move made out of a base need to control Brown’s movement—to limit his ability to leave the team in free agency, as scheduled, and to pay him handsomely for the lack of freedom.

In many instances, the franchise tag is a weaponized way for a franchise to retain control on a player for another year (or two, depending on how many times they decide to employ it). The use of the tag itself can often be an issue itself, and numerous players in recent NFL history have taken such a transaction as an affront—as if the team is personally offending them in the process.

Don’t expect any such feelings or theatrics between team and player this time around.d            fa

While the money will be much, the negotiations between Orlando Brown Jr. and the Kansas City Chiefs should be relatively painless.

While the Chiefs have yet to officially give Brown what he wants—a long-term contract extension—there’s no mystery as to where this offseason train is going. There are no question marks or analysts hedging their bets in this instance. Brown wants a long-term deal and the Chiefs want to give him one. It’s that straightforward and simple.

Brown was making noise about wanting long-term security back when he was playing with the Baltimore Ravens. Even more, he wanted that security to be linked to the left tackle position instead of his typical responsibilities at right tackle. He’d gotten a taste of things on the left side in the wake of Ronnie Stanley’s season-long injury in 2020 and didn’t want to relinquish the role (nor the higher dollar amounts associated with it).

With Stanley due back in 2021, the Ravens shipped Brown to the Chiefs, who were in dire need of a left tackle, last year and the Chiefs knew exactly what they were getting in the process. Brown lived up to his end of the bargain with an ever-improving performance at left tackle in front of Patrick Mahomes. The Pro Bowl came calling at season’s end for the third year in a row. Now the Chiefs have to pony up, but since they’ve known Brown’s posture for quite some time, things should flow effortlessly through the negotiation phase.

At this point, Brown is the long-term answer for the Chiefs at tackle and there’s really no contesting that fact. The Chiefs are now set at the position and Brown should get better outside as he gains more reps in Andy Reid’s offense and develops better chemistry with Patrick Mahomes. And they knew when acquiring him that he wanted a place to call home.

While both sides clearly weren’t ready to sign just yet, no one should read anything into the delay. Brown will get the money he’s been seeking while providing the Chiefs with the performance up front they’ve been seeking. There’s no drama here, just an extension that will be coming in good time.