Orlando Brown Jr.‘s quest to become a full-time left tackle led him to Kansas City, and the Chiefs will soon be forced to carve out a sizable portion of their cap space to ensure he stays.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach said the team using its franchise tag on Brown is “likely,” as the team plans to work toward a long-term extension with its left tackle, Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star tweets. With all offensive line positions grouped together on the tag, Brown’s tag figure is expected to come in just below $17MM. Given the going rate for upper-echelon left tackles, that is not an especially steep price. Tagging Brown would give the Chiefs until mid-July to work out an extension.
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Having spent two-plus seasons as the Ravens’ right tackle, Brown maneuvered his way to the Chiefs after demanding to play on the left side — where he finished the 2020 season after Ronnie Stanley‘s first major injury. Last season, Brown made his third Pro Bowl and was a central figure in the Chiefs’ O-line overhaul. He will certainly push for an extension north of $20MM per year. Three left tackles — Trent Williams, David Bakhtiari and Laremy Tunsil, whose 2020 extension reshaped the position’s market — now earn more than $22MM annually.
Brown’s status clouds Tyrann Mathieu‘s. The Chiefs have been prepared to tag Brown since acquiring him last year, leaving their top secondary piece unsigned. The Chiefs have two more weeks of exclusive negotiating rights with the All-Pro safety before the legal tampering period begins. Veach plans to meet with Mathieu’s agent at the Combine, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. It is far from a guarantee the three-time All-Pro stays in Kansas City.
Mathieu will turn 30 in May, but the nine-year veteran would still generate widespread interest on the open market. The Chiefs signed the versatile defender to a three-year, $42MM deal in March 2019, and he led the way in reshaping a then-bottom-tier defense. Given the deals handed out to Justin Simmons and Jamal Adams last year, Mathieu will be in good shape to score another monster payday soon. No active safety matches Mathieu’s three first-team All-Pro honors.
Sitting $11MM-plus under the cap, the Chiefs will need to continue to make moves to carve out space for a Brown tag and other moves. The team already released four-year linebacker starter Anthony Hitchens and can keep restructuring Patrick Mahomes‘ 10-year contract. The team created $17MM in cap space by restructuring Mahomes’ deal last year.
See you Frank Clark