Orlando Brown Jr., Jessie Bates Absent From Training Camps
Two notable absences were widely expected as training camps open this week: Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and Bengals safety Jessie Bates. To no surprise, then, their respective teams will be without them for the beginning of summer practices. 
Brown’s absence was confirmed by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (video link). The news comes in the wake of details regarding the final offer made by the Chiefs to get the three-time Pro Bowler signed long-term. The proposed deal would have allowed Brown to reach his stated goal of becoming the league’s highest-paid offensive lineman, but issues related to the structure and guarantees led to the deal falling through.
Reports have since surfaced about the team’s frustrations regarding the process which has left both sides in their present situation. With Brown attached to a franchise tag valued at $16.7MM, head coach Andy Reid said, when asked about whether or not the 26-year-old would report to camp, “I don’t know that. So I don’t know whether he’s going to be here or not. If he’s here, great. And if he’s not, we move on.”
Bates, meanwhile, never came nearly as close as Brown did to inking a long-term extension, something which has been a point of contention dating back to last offseason. The 25-year-old has maintained throughout this process that he will not play on the franchise tag ($12.9MM), making his decision to stay away from camp (confirmed, on Twitter, by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) the next logical move in this saga.
In a similar vein to the Chiefs with respect to Brown, the Bengals offered a five-year deal with insufficient guarantees to gain much traction in finalizing an agreement. Bates’ absence will leave first-team reps available for Daxton Hill, the Bengals’ top draft pick and long-term successor in the likely event Bates is gone by no later than March. A trade is not considered to be in the cards at this point.
Since neither player has signed their tags, they will not be subject to fines as a result of their absences. Sitting out the campaign remains their only alternative to eventually signing and reporting, though, an eventuality which will be closely monitored in the coming days and weeks.
NFL Workouts: 7/25/22
As players are moved to the PUP and NFI lists and rosters are starting to take shape for the start of training camps, many players are searching for opportunities to make a team.
Here’s the list of players who have received workouts or taken visits today and this past weekend:
Atlanta Falcons
- CB DeMarkus Acy, CB Cortez Davis, CB Troy Pride
Baltimore Ravens
- RB Wayne Gallman, RB Corey Clement (signed), QB Vad Lee
Buffalo Bills
- CB Luq Barcoo, CB Donte Deayon, TE Stephen Carlson, TE Austin Fort, TE Gene Scott, S Marqui Christian, G Jamil Demby, G Jordan Simmons (signed), T Drew Himmelman, DE Damontre Moore, C Cole Toner
Carolina Panthers
- NT Danny Shelton (story)
Chicago Bears
- OL Michael Schofield (signed)
Cincinnati Bengals
- LB T.J. Brunson, LB Tegray Scales (signed), DT Domenique Davis (signed), DE Raymond Johnson (signed), DE Chris Odom, TE MyCole Pruitt
Green Bay Packers
- QB Nate Stanley, WR Jonathan Adams, WR Osirus Mitchell (signed), WR Ryan Wisniewski, C Ty Clary, G Denzel Okafor, CB Donte Vaughn, S Dallin Leavitt (signed)
Houston Texans
- RB Austin Walter, RB Artavis Pierce, RB Max Borghi, RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio
Indianapolis Colts
- WR Isaiah Ford, WR John Hurst, WR Ishmael Hyman, WR Tyson Morris
Jacksonville Jaguars
- QB Kyle Sloter (signed)
Kansas City Chiefs
- T Evin Ksiezarczyk (signed), David Steinmetz (signed)
Las Vegas Raiders
- S Steven Parker, S Jarrod Wilson, DE Abdullah Anderson, TE Ryan Becker, TE Cole Hikutini, TE Ethan Wolf
New England
- WR Derrick Dillon, WR Terry Godwin, WR Andrew Jamiel, WR Cinque Sweeting, TE La’Michael Pettway
New York Giants
- T Kendall Lamm, TE Eric Ebron, S Andrew Adams (signed), S Jack Koerner, T Caleb Benenoch, T Kamaal Seymour, DT Darrion Daniels, TE Kahale Warring, WR Marcus Kemp, DE Nicholas Williams
New York Jets
- WR Pharoh Cooper, WR Rashard Davis, QB Chris Streveler, G Isaiah Williams (signed)
Philadelphia Eagles
- RB JaQuan Hardy, TE Connor Davis, TE Jaeden Graham, TE Farrod Greene, RB Trey Ragas, WR Lance Lenoir, C Cameron Tom
San Francisco 49ers
- DE T.J. Carter, DT Tomasi Laulile, DT Robert Nkemdiche
Seattle Seahawks
- K Brandon Aubrey, DT Jared Brinkman, DT Antonio Valentino, TE Jake Hausmann, TE Rodell Rahmaan, DE Adam Rodriguez
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- TE Kyle Rudolph (signed)
Tennessee Titans
- S Jalen Elliott, CB Joshua Kalu (signed)
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/22
Here are today’s minor roster moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on reserve/retired list: DT Eddie Goldman (story)
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: RB Corey Clement
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DT Domenique Davis, DE Raymond Johnson, LB Tegray Scales
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: S Dallin Leavitt, WR Osirus Mitchell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: T David Steinmetz, T Evin Ksiezarczyk
- Placed on IR: WR Justyn Ross
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: G Jordan Meredith
- Placed on reserve/retired list: G Denzelle Good (story)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Shaun Beyer
- Placed on active/PUP list: WR Blake Proehl, LB Ryan Connelly
New York Giants
- Signed: S Andrew Adams
New York Jets
- Signed: G Isaiah Williams (re-signed)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: FB Trey Edmunds
Chiefs Frustrated With LT Orlando Brown Jr.
The Chiefs and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. were unable to agree to an extension prior to the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign multi-year deals. That development has reportedly led to Kansas City becoming frustrated with its 2021 trade acquisition.
“There was frustration and there was disappointment,” Jeffri Chadiha of the NFL Network recently said (via Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star). “They really like Orlando Brown Jr., they love having him be a part of this team, but the money he was asking for was too high for them. They feel like 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 that they don’t think is the best player at his position in the NFL.”
Of course, the frustration is probably mutual. While the Chiefs proposed a six-year, $139MM contract, that featured a bloated $40MM salary in the sixth and final year of the deal that was never intended to be paid and was only included to give Brown a market-topping average annual value of over $23MM. The AAV over the first five years was around $18MM, which would have stood eighth among tackles.
On the other hand, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, the Chiefs’ offer did include $38MM in full guarantees and another $14.25MM in injury guarantees (which would have converted to a full guarantee in 2024). That $38MM mark is critical because it represents more than what Brown would earn under two consecutive franchise tags — $16.7MM in 2022 and $19.9MM in 2023 — and that is often a key to working out an extension for tagged players.
Brown, though, was pushing for a $40MM signing bonus and full guarantees beyond that, along with a “true” AAV of $25MM. It is easy to see why the Chiefs did not want to go there for a very good player who can dominate lesser defenders but who can look more pedestrian against quality competition. Though he excels at run-blocking thanks largely to his mauling style of play, his pass-block win rate in 2021 — his first full year on the blindside — was outside the top-40 at his position. That is especially concerning since, in the Chiefs’ high-flying offense, he is generally not asked to sustain blocks for very long.
There is certainly a chance that Brown, 26, will continue to improve, and even if he is hit with the franchise tag again in 2023, he will have the chance to finally hit the open market the following year, when he is just 28 years old. At that time, the salary cap is expected to be considerably higher than it is now, so as long as he can avoid a major injury and at least sustain his current level of performance, Brown’s patience could be rewarded in a big way.
For now, it is unclear if he will report to training camp, which opens later this week. Head coach Andy Reid, during a press conference on Friday, said, “I don’t know that. So I don’t know whether he’s going to be here or not. If he’s here, great. And if he’s not, we move on. That’s how we’ve done it in the past. This isn’t the first time I’ve been through something like this” (via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk).
Brown will almost certainly sign his tender at some point, though Chadiha did indicate that the three-time Pro Bowler may be willing to extend his holdout into Week 1.
Per Chadiha, “one front office person said, ‘[t]his isn’t the same guy that we traded for.’ The feeling there is that when they got him from Baltimore is 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. 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.”
Chiefs Place Four Players On PUP List
The Chiefs are the latest team set to begin training camp with a few noticeable absentees. The team has placed four players on the active/PUP list, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link). 
The lone defender on the list is cornerback Rashad Fenton. In May, it was reported that the 25-year-old wasn’t a lock to be healthy by the start of camp. He is rehabbing a shoulder injury which required offseason surgery, and kept him out of spring workouts. He is likely to be slated at No. 3 on Kansas City’s depth chart at the position, which has seen plenty of turnover this offseason. His steady growth in playing time and effectiveness could make him not only an important piece in the team’s secondary upon his return, but a priority for the Chiefs from a financial standpoint.
On the offensive line, right tackle Lucas Niang is another unsurprising inclusion. He suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon in January, marking the latest example of availability concerns associated with the former third-rounder. A 2020 opt-out, Niang has played just 12 total games two years into his NFL career, including nine starts. He was replaced when out of the lineup last season by veteran Andrew Wylie, who was brought back on a one-year deal in free agency. The two will compete for the starting role upon Niang’s return. Backup linemen Prince Tega Wanogho is also among the players placed on the list.
Finally, the Chiefs will have to wait for the training camp debut of perhaps the most notable UDFA of the 2022 draft class. Wide receiver Justyn Ross recently underwent foot surgery, as noted by Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams. The former Clemson star was widely thought of as a surefire first-rounder before multiple neck injuries derailed his junior campaign and led to many teams taking him off their draft boards altogether. Health will always be a concern with Ross, but there will be a role available to him in Kansas City’ re-vamped WR room.
Of course, any of these players can be activated at any time – something the Chiefs will be anticipating with the potential starters in particular.
Offseason In Review: Kansas City Chiefs
Although the Chiefs’ Super Bowl IV team and multiple other squads from that period housed a whopping six Hall of Fame defenders, it is safe to say the Andy Reid–Patrick Mahomes stretch represents the franchise’s peak. The Chiefs, who entered the 2017 season having never won back-to-back AFC West titles, enter 2022 with six straight division crowns. During the Mahomes leg of this reign, the Chiefs have not encountered much divisional resistance. They have become the only team to host four consecutive conference championship games.
But the rest of the division spent the offseason loading up to challenge the Chiefs, whose 2022 edition will look a bit different. Reid and GM Brett Veach moved two cornerstone players — Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu — off the roster, trading Hill and letting Mathieu walk in free agency. Kansas City was busy at both positions this offseason. How much will these retooling efforts and rivals’ big-ticket moves — one of which having a direct impact on the Chiefs’ plans — impact the perennial Super Bowl contenders’ 2022 season?
Trades:
- Sent WR Tyreek Hill to Dolphins for 2022 first-, second- and fourth-round picks and 2023 fourth- and sixth-rounders
- Acquired DB Lonnie Johnson from Texans for conditional 2024 seventh-round pick
The Chiefs had begun Hill extension talks in the weeks leading up to free agency. One year remained on the field-tilting speedster’s contract. But the Raiders soon acquired Davante Adams from the Packers, changing the equation not just for Hill but for the entire wide receiver market. The Chiefs balked at Hill’s new demands, which increased after Adams agreed to a then-receiver-record $28MM-per-year deal. Kansas City quickly pivoted to the trade market, leading to Jets and Dolphins offers. After a Jets proposal — one that did not feature any first-round picks but included two second-rounders — nearly sent Hill to New York, the Dolphins came in with a trade including the No. 29 overall pick and an extension (four years, $120MM) that topped Adams’ accord.
Of the offseason’s marquee wideout trades, Hill fetched his former team the most in terms of compensation. At 28, Hill is more than a year younger than Adams and possesses a skillset pairing historically elite speed with legit receiving chops — something most players in Hill’s speed realm have lacked throughout NFL annals. Hill will now entrust his Hall of Fame push to Tua Tagovailoa, while the Chiefs will be tasked with an interesting restart at the position.
It remains fascinating a Chiefs rival changed the AFC West kingpins’ path with one of their best players. Hill said he did not ask the Chiefs for an extension that topped Adams’ AAV but did ask the team for a deal in the $25-$26MM-AAV range. A vital piece during Alex Smith‘s final Chiefs season and to start Mahomes’ rapid ascent, Hill became an All-Pro on a Day 3 contract. The 2019 child-abuse scandal, which came years after a domestic violence arrest eventually dropped Hill to the 2016 fifth round, nearly led to a Chiefs divorce. But after no NFL suspension emerged, the team welcomed its deep threat back and gave him an $18MM-per-year deal — on a team-friendly structure as a result of his second off-field controversy. Hill outplayed that deal, stringing together three more Pro Bowl seasons. But the Chiefs joined the Packers and Titans in letting another team pay their top wide receiver at the new WR1 going rate.
This separation could be a seminal moment on the Chiefs’ timeline, considering the attention defenses paid to Hill. Teams increasingly moved to prevent Mahomes-to-Hill deep strikes last season, something that the receiver later confirmed caused internal frustration. This trade represents the biggest offensive change of the Mahomes era and presents some risk, given the Chiefs’ momentum and non-Hill issues at the position since Reid arrived.
Reid’s other receiver investments in Kansas City have largely not worked out. The 2013 Dwayne Bowe extension backfired, as the previous Chiefs WR1’s skills deteriorated quickly, and the Chiefs cut bait on Jeremy Maclin after two seasons. Sammy Watkins came up big in spots, but frequent injuries suffered in Kansas City have led to the former top-five pick’s value freefall. Drafted in the second round while Hill was barred from the team’s facility, Mecole Hardman has not panned out. Though, the fourth-year wideout may have a more prominent role as the team attempts an interesting post-Hill wideout configuration.
The Johnson flier resembles those the Chiefs took on former first-round cornerbacks Mike Hughes and Deandre Baker. A 2019 second-rounder, Johnson has one year remaining on his rookie contract. He is coming off a career-best three interceptions in 2021, but the young DB — whom the Texans used at corner and safety — fell out of favor in Houston. Pro Football Focus viewed Johnson as one of the NFL’s worst defensive backs during his Texans tenure. The advanced metrics website graded Johnson as the league’s worst primary cornerback in 2019 and slotted him as (by far) the league’s worst safety contributor last season, helping explain the 2024 seventh-round return.
Notable signings:
- Justin Reid, S. Three years, $31.5MM. $20.49MM guaranteed.
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR. Three years, $30MM. $8.56MM guaranteed.
- J.J. Smith-Schuster, WR. One year, $3.25MM. $2.49MM guaranteed.
- Andrew Wylie, OL. One year, $2.54MM. $2.54MM guaranteed.
- Derrick Nnadi, DT. One year, $2.75MM. $2.5MM guaranteed.
- Chad Henne, QB. One year, $2MM. $2MM guaranteed.
- Jermaine Carter, LB. One year, $1.77MM. $1.77MM guaranteed.
- Geron Christian, T. One year, $1.19MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Ronald Jones, RB. One year, $1.5MM. $750K guaranteed.
- Taylor Stallworth, DT. One year, $1.19MM. $300K guaranteed.
- Austin Reiter, OL. One year, $1MM.
- Jerick McKinnon, RB. One year, $1MM.
As Tyrann Mathieu lingered in free agency, the Chiefs quickly signaled they were not bringing him back for a fourth season by committing to Reid during the legal tampering period. Mathieu had also made a Houston-to-Kansas City trek, though Reid played his entire rookie contract with the Texans. Pro Football Focus barely rated Reid above Johnson last year, grading the former as the sixth-worst full-time safety. PFF offered much better assessments for the former third-round pick during his first two seasons, when the Texans booked playoff spots.
While the Chiefs are saving money here compared to Mathieu’s $14MM-per-year deal, the proven veteran is only tied to a $9MM-AAV contract with the Saints. Reid, however, is five years younger, at 25. DC Steve Spagnuolo will bet on the player with more prime years remaining.
Following the Reid accord, the Chiefs began work on their receiving corps. For a short stretch, it looked like Smith-Schuster would complement Hill. The wideouts overlapped as Chiefs teammates for over a week, and considering the Raiders extension’s effect on the AFC West champs, it can be assumed Kansas City at least envisioned a reality in which ex-Pittsburgh slot talent played alongside Hill and Travis Kelce. Smith-Schuster now stands to play a more important role for the Chiefs, but they have eyed the former Pro Bowler for a bit now.
The Chiefs finished second in the Smith-Schuster sweepstakes last year; the USC product prioritized familiarity with the Steelers to better position him for the 2022 market. That decision backfired. Ben Roethlisberger continued to decline, but Smith-Schuster was not there to see much of that deterioration manifest due to the Week 5 shoulder injury he suffered. Still, Andy Reid attempting to lure him last year and coming back to the table in 2022 — despite JuJu’s five-game season — is notable. The Chiefs have not had a consistent slot weapon during Mahomes’ time, though Hill would align there at points. Still just 25, Smith-Schuster has not been able to replicate the 2018 dominance he displayed alongside Antonio Brown, failing to come within 500 yards of that 1,431-yard year. But being paired with one of the game’s best quarterbacks and arguably its premier play-caller could reignite him.
Shortly after the Hill trade, the Chiefs poached the Packers’ top vertical threat. Valdes-Scantling has not caught more than 38 passes in a season, but the 2018 fifth-round pick’s deep capabilities produced a market. The Packers bowed out but were interested in keeping him. MVS led the NFL with a 20.9 yards-per-catch number in 2020, when he caught six touchdown passes. Like Hill, Valdes-Scantling has dealt with drop issues. He finished sixth in drop rate in 2020 but largely curbed that problem last season. Despite coming into the league three years after Hill, MVS, 28, is only a few months younger.
This contract doubles as a prove-it deal, with the Chiefs not guaranteeing anything into Year 2. Only Valdes-Scantling’s prorated signing bonus would count as dead money if the Chiefs moved on in 2023; they would be tagged with $4MM if they did so. For 2022, however, Valdes-Scantling will be a discounted deep target — albeit one with a larger catch radius than Hill, due to a 6-foot-4 frame. MVS joins Hardman and Skyy Moore as field-stretchers for the Chiefs, who will trot out a near-fully reshuffled receiving corps.
Wylie and Christian may be battling for the team’s right tackle gig, a position that has seen inconsistency since Mitchell Schwartz‘s ironman streak ended during the 2020 campaign. The Chiefs have locked-in starters at each of the other four O-line spots. PFF rated each of the Chiefs’ three right-edge options, a list that also includes 2020 third-rounder Lucas Niang, between 60th and 70th at tackle last season. Christian started eight games for the Texans in 2021. Niang might not factor prominently in the upcoming training camp competition. The 2020 COVID-19 opt-out suffered a torn patellar tendon in Week 17 of last season. Its right tackle situation is far from ideal, but Kansas City does have one of the league’s most enviable O-line situations on the whole.
Franchise Tag Roundup: Bengals, Chiefs, Cowboys, Dolphins Table Talks To 2023
For the first time since 2018, the summer franchise tag deadline day did not produce an extension. The past three years brought deadline-day deals for Taylor Moton, Derrick Henry, Chris Jones, Grady Jarrett and Robbie Gould. None of the four teams who still had tagged players could hammer out a deal Friday, however.
Bengals safety Jessie Bates, Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki and Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz remain attached to their franchise tag prices ($12.9MM, $16.7MM, $10.9MM, $10.9MM, respectively). They are prevented from negotiating with their teams again until the 2022 season ends. The four teams can apply second franchise tags to these players in 2023, at 120% of their 2022 tag prices.
- The Chiefs and Brown came closest to a deal. Although the Chiefs reached an extension agreement with Frank Clark upon trading a first-round pick and change for him in 2019, they postponed Brown negotiations last year. When the sides came to the table, after Brown earned a Pro Bowl nod for his first season as a full-time left tackle, the fifth-year blocker had a new agent and wanted a deal that made him the highest-paid offensive lineman. The Chiefs were willing to go there, but on their terms. What amounts to a dummy year in the contract’s final season led Brown to turn down a six-year, $139MM extension offer. Although failed tag talks often lead to separations the following year, it would surprise if the Chiefs — considering the compensation they parted with for Brown in 2021 — did not make a strong effort to extend Brown in 2023.
- Less clarity emerged with the other three tag negotiations, but the Bengals‘ five-year offer and reported guarantee of around $17MM — which would be a fringe top-10 mark at the safety position — did not bring Bates to sign an extension. The fifth-year defender wanted to be the NFL’s highest-paid safety, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Minkah Fitzpatrick moved that number to $18.2MM per year this summer. Bates expressed interest in re-signing with the Bengals in 2021, after he posted a strong 2020 season. Following a less impactful 2021 regular season, Bates rebounded with critical playoff contributions. The Bengals, who drafted safety Daxton Hill in Round 1 and have Vonn Bell under contract for one more season, may be willing to let Bates test free agency a year from now. But Bell’s contract-year status may well keep Bates in the fold beyond 2022.
- A lot of Schultz news came out this offseason, including a late rumor of a possible deal coming to fruition. But scant optimism about a Cowboys long-term deal surfaced. Dallas cuffed its top tight end and, with Schultz having signed his tender, he can be fined daily for not reporting to training camp. Although Schultz left OTAs to make a point about negotiations, he showed for Cowboys minicamp. The sides, however, appeared far apart. Ahead of Friday’s deadline, they had not negotiated in weeks. Contract length was an issue for Schultz’s camp. While Dak Prescott‘s contract is an exception, the Cowboys prefer five- or six-year extensions. No deadline-day magic occurred, and Schultz may become a bigger part of Dallas’ offense, with the team having traded Amari Cooper shortly after tagging its tight end.
- It does not sound like substantial Gesicki-Dolphins talks occurred this offseason. Though, Gesicki was interested in an extension. After the former second-round pick broke through for a 703-yard, six-touchdown 2020 season, the team did not make an extension ahead of his 2021 contract year a priority. Gesicki then posted a 780-yard slate. That was enough to move Miami to keep the Penn State product off the free agent market. Gesicki should play a key part in a critical Tua Tagovailoa season, but with Tyreek Hill‘s $30MM-per-year contract now on Miami’s books, other Dolphins skill players may be affected.
The Browns (David Njoku), Buccaneers (Chris Godwin), Jaguars (Cam Robinson) and Packers (Davante Adams) saw their tagged players land extensions. Adams’ money, of course, came from the Raiders, who gave their new All-Pro weapon a five-year, $140MM extension — a deal that impacted Hill’s Chiefs talks and one that has two lofty nonguaranteed salaries in its final two years — after Adams voiced a preference to reunite with Derek Carr out west. Njoku becoming the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid tight end, after not matching either of Gesicki or Schultz’s best seasons, likely became an issue in the Cowboys and Dolphins’ respective negotiations.
Bates and Brown have not signed their tenders. This would allow each to skip training camp without being fined. The 2020 CBA prevents teams from waiving fines for holdouts, pointing to Gesicki and Schultz showing up. Bates is not expected to attend camp, and Brown hinted at staying away for a while. The Bengals and Chiefs’ tagged performers have until Nov. 15 to sign their tenders, or they cannot play in 2022. Multiple defensive linemen (Sean Gilbert and Dan Williams, the latter a Chiefs tag recipient) followed through with skipping seasons after being tagged in the late 1990s, but Le’Veon Bell (2018) is the only player to pass on a guaranteed salary by skipping a full season while attached to the tag this century.
Latest On Chiefs’ Orlando Brown Jr. Offer
It appears the Chiefs and Orlando Brown Jr. will reassess this situation in 2023. After Brown’s agent indicated the Pro Bowl left tackle will not reach a long-term agreement with the Chiefs by Friday’s 3pm CT deadline, more details on Kansas City’s offer have emerged.
The Chiefs are believed to have offered a market-topping deal, but Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes the proposal contained a lofty final-year payment that inflated the average annual value to that place. A $40MM-plus salary existed in the 2027 season, lifting the contract’s value past Trent Williams‘ $23MM-per-year figure (Twitter link).
That strategy worked for the Dolphins with Tyreek Hill and the Raiders with Davante Adams, who have massive nonguaranteed salaries in the final years of their respective contracts to elevate the AAVs to market-changing levels. Brown’s camp sought more security.
The Chiefs’ offer contained $91MM over the first five years. While each year of contracts factors into AAV figures, the Brown offer averaged $18.2MM through five years — a mark that would have stood eighth among tackles. The dummy year interfered with Brown’s hopes here, Garafolo adds (on Twitter). Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes the offer’s first five years included $95MM and adds the deal featured a $30.25MM signing bonus (Twitter link). The full offer was six years, $139MM, narrowly topping Williams’ six-year, $138.1MM contract.
Kansas City traded its 2021 first-round pick for Brown. Although that deal did include Baltimore’s second-round pick coming back — used to select Nick Bolton — Kansas City gave up a big haul to acquire the Pro Bowl blocker. The Chiefs will have Brown attached to the $16.7MM franchise tender — one he has not signed. The fifth-year tackle teased a holdout into the regular season, surely as an effort to convince the Chiefs to up their pre-deadline offer. Brown’s $16.7MM figure will be guaranteed when he signs the tender. A second Brown tag would cost the Chiefs almost $20MM in 2023.
Barring restructures for Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones, the Chiefs will soon have Brown’s tender and their top offensive and defensive players tied to top-five NFL cap figures. Mahomes’ will spike from $7.4MM in 2021 to $35.7MM this year. Jones’ will climb from $8.5MM in 2021 to $29.4MM. With Brown’s tag on the books alongside these cap numbers, it will represent a new-look Chiefs payroll.
Chiefs, Orlando Brown Jr. Fail To Reach Agreement On New Contract
With the franchise tag deadline hours away now, the news many were expecting regarding Orlando Brown Jr. has come. The three-time Pro Bowl left tackle will not sign a long-term extension with the Chiefs today, setting up the possibility of a training camp holdout.
That wasn’t for a lack of effort on the team’s part, however. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets that the Chiefs “made a final run at” finalizing a new contract before today’s deadline. He adds that Kansas City was willing to include fully-guaranteed money through 2023, but the desire for “more security” from Brown’s camp led to a continuation of the current stalemate (Twitter link).
To that point, Garafolo’s colleague Tom Pelissero notes that the Chiefs’ top offer in terms of both signing bonus and average salary came on a six-year contract; the lack of guarantees “over the life of the deal,” though, led to its falling through. Brown’s agent, Michael Portner, said, “We got really close. We enjoyed dealing with the Chiefs and we understand their position as well. [But] I’m not gonna let these athletes sign a flashy contract without the substance or security there” (Twitter link).
Adding further to the details of the team’s offer, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Brown turned down “more based on average per year than Trent Williams.” The 49ers left tackle is currently on a deal averaging $23MM per season, making him one of just three o-lineman above the $20MM-per-annum mark. It had long been known that Brown – who took on full-time NFL blindside duties just this season, his first in Kansas City – was looking for a contract which would place him at the top of the market. The fact that he would turn down an offer allowing him to reach that level speaks to the gap between the two parties on the contract’s overall structure.
Brown, like Bengals safety Jessie Bates, didn’t sign his franchise tender (valued at $16.7MM). Since he is not under contract, he will not be subject to fines if he does indeed stay away during training camp, which begins later this month. Meanwhile, SI’s Albert Breer notes (on Twitter) that a second tag next season would cost the team $19.99MM, though a camp holdout on Brown’s part could be aimed in part at obtaining an assurance the team wouldn’t go down that path.
Given today’s news, the situation between Brown and the Chiefs will be one of the most intriguing storylines in the build-up to the season.
OL Mitchell Schwartz Retires
After nine years in the NFL, offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz is ending his career. The 33-year-old confirmed his retirement decision on Twitter. 
“It’s been almost two years since I injured my back” his message reads. “I had surgery last February and have been doing rehab ever since. I’m currently feeling as good as I have since then, but it’s clear my body won’t ever be the same.”
Schwartz suffered the injury in October 2020, which caused his iron man streak of 134 consecutive games played to come to an end. It also kept him sidelined for the Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss to the Buccaneers later that season, something which, coupled with the absence of left tackle Eric Fisher, contributed greatly to Kansas City’s offensive struggles in the title game.
A second round pick of the Browns in 2012, Schwartz immediately manned the right tackle spot in Cleveland. His consistent level of play earned him a five-year, $33MM contract in free agency from the Chiefs in 2016. His four full campaigns in Kansas City (2016-19) saw him earn All-Pro honors, including as a First-Team member in 2018. During the 2020 campaign, his PFF grade slipped somewhat, but he still earned a solid rating of 74.7. Unable to recover fully from the back injury, he missed all of the 2021 season.
Having been released by the Chiefs last March along with Fisher, Schwartz could have signed anywhere had he been healthy enough to draw interest, and likely continued his career for several more years. Instead, he will now officially walk away from football, with a deep appreciation of his time in the NFL.
“Winning the Super Bowl was the pinnacle of my career” he added. “My 7,984 consecutive snaps streak and four All-Pro nominations are my proudest individual accomplishments, far exceeding my own expectations… Football was a big part of my life and always will be.
“[Kansas City] and its support is hard to describe until you’ve felt it personally. I am forever a Chief and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”