The Kansas City Chiefs missed out on an opportunity to play in their third consecutive Super Bowl.
But while they fell one game short of another title shot, they’ve improved the weaknesses they manifested during Super Bowl LV.
Upgrading the offensive line became a priority for general manager Brett Veach after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers chased Patrick Mahomes all over Raymond James Stadium.
That’s what they did during the 2021 offseason by drafting center Creed Humphrey and trading for Orlando Brown Jr.
The Chiefs traded a first-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens to acquire Brown who had 16 regular-season starts in each of his last four years.
However, both parties failed to reach a contract extension, putting the offensive tackle’s situation in limbo.
But ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter ended the speculation on where the offensive lineman will suit up in 2022.
Kansas City Chiefs are franchise tagging OT Orlando Brown, per league sources. Brown becomes the first free-agent-to-be this off-season known to be getting the franchise tag.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2022
Schefter said, “Kansas City Chiefs are franchise tagging OT Orlando Brown, per league sources. Brown becomes the first free-agent-to-be this off-season known to be getting the franchise tag.”
The tag will give Brown a one-year, guaranteed deal worth $16.5 million based on the average of the top five cap hits in the position from the previous season.
Contract Talks Are In Place
The Chiefs cannot afford to lose Brown who has been one of their reliable players on the offensive line.
However, both parties might still be engaged in contract extension talks even if the Chiefs already assigned that tag to him.
The Dallas Cowboys made the same move with quarterback Dak Prescott who they signed under the franchise tag first before finalizing a four-year, $160 million contract.
Giving Brown the tag buys the Chiefs some time to engage in the negotiations to have the 25-year-old lineman for the long term.
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