Brett Veach sounds hopeful to reach long-term deal with Orlando Brown Jr.
By Matt Conner
Brett Veach spoke from the 2023 NFL Combine to reporters about a number of topics on Tuesday, including Orlando Brown Jr.’s status.
Even in the confusion, a few things were made clear by Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach when it comes to the future of Orlando Brown Jr. It can all be termed as cautious optimism.
On Tuesday, Veach spoke to reporters from the 2023 NFL Combine about a number of topics, including the status of Brown as a pending free agent, and he admitted a lack of clarity at this stage. In fact, he pointed to the actual week of the Combine as the staging ground for the very negotiations that might provide a meaningful update.
“We went through this path last year. It’s more beneficial for us to get something done long-term and that’s why this season is so important for us. Really this is the start. As you know we’ll have a lot of dialogue. The Combine’s great to come in and check out the new college talent, but a lot of the time here is spent talking with the agents of our players,” said Veach.
Brown is scheduled to hit free agency once again, but the Chiefs have the most important piece of leverage in that they can use the franchise tag once again. While Brown was vocally frustrated about the potential tag use last year, he ended up signing it in the absence of a long-term commitment from the Chiefs, who were unwilling to meet Brown’s demands to be the highest-paid left tackle in the NFL.
This year, Brown has turned in another Pro Bowl season with an exemplary postseason showing but it was also a rocky year overall. Perhaps any demands to reset the market will be tempered, but nothing is known just yet. That said, Veach did speak hopefully of getting something done rather than resorting to the franchise tag once again, which would essentially amount to a single-season deal worth just under $20 million.
“Unlike last year, we at least have a runway to work with. We’ve gotten to know his team a little bit better. We’re excited to get that process started and hopefully figure something out.”