The Kansas City Chiefs are reportedly frustrated and disappointed by the inability to come to terms with Orlando Brown Jr. on a new contract extension.
When the Kansas City Chiefs and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. were unable to come to terms on a new long-term extension by the franchise tag deadline on July 15, there was understandable negativity all around. Everyone involved would have benefitted from an agreement with long-term security for both sides. Instead, the relationship is now uncertain with the potential for drama in the present as the team doesn’t know if Brown will be at training camp or not.
A new report from Jeffri Chadiha has some further illustration of the Chiefs’ front office morale in the wake of the failed attempts to lock up Brown. The NFL reporter spoke with at least one insider who characterized the state of things in K.C.
“There was frustration and there was disappointment. They really like Orlando Brown Jr. They love having him be a part of this team, but the money he was asking for was just too high for them. They felt like, y’know, they don’t want to not have stability at left tackle here, but they also don’t want to pay top-of-the-market money for a player they don’t think is the best player at his position in the NFL.
“One front office person said that, “This isn’t the same guy that we traded for.” The feeling there is that when they got him from Baltimore that he was going to be a team player and work with them on a team-friendly type of deal. That was not the case.”
The Chiefs dealt for Brown well over a year ago knowing he wanted a long-term deal to start at left tackle for an NFL team. Brown was the cornerstone investment outside for a rebuilt line that also featured high-priced signing Joe Thuney along with surprising rookies like Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. However, the Chiefs kept Brown’s wishes at bay for his entire first season with the team before placing the franchise tag on him, forcing Brown to play out the year for $16.6 million instead of a multi-year deal averaging top-tier money (around $25 million).
For now, no one knows how things will play out but the Chiefs are due to report to St. Joseph for training camp next week. For now, Chadiha notes, “Right now we’re looking at a situation where Orlando Brown probably won’t be there for training camp and may not be there for Week 1.”