Kansas City Chiefs LT Orlando Brown Jr. will play the 2022 NFL season on the Chiefs’ franchise tag after he and the team failed to reach an agreement before the contract deadline last Friday. The Chiefs’ final offer to Brown was a six-year, $139 million deal, and Brown this season will earn $16.6 million on the franchise tag, which is the average of the top five salaries at his position.
Brown isn’t the only player in the league that will play on the franchise tag in 2022. Dolphins TEs Dalton Schultz and Mike Gesiciki plus Bengals safety Jessie Bates III have also failed to reach new contract agreements. Until Brown signs his contract tender, he can skip training camp, voluntary workouts, and the Chiefs’ required minicamp, all without incurring any fines. However, the downside to such a choice is missing valuable practice and conditioning time.
Failing to agree on an extension means that Brown and the Chiefs can’t discuss any new contracts until after the 2022 NFL season.
If Brown were to have accepted the Chiefs’ final offer before the Friday deadline, he would’ve had the highest signing bonus of any LT in the NFL, with an extra $30.3 million available. It’s worth mentioning that some of the deal had details Brown wasn’t 100 percent on board with. And if Brown decides to hold out on signing any new contract, the Chiefs still have some decent options at left tackle available at a moment’s notice.
Brown enters his 2nd season with Kansas City after being traded from the Baltimore Ravens after the 2020 season. Brown started every game for the Chiefs last season, making his 3rd Pro Bowl appearance, and mentored 2021 rookies Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. He also never missed a snap in 16 starts for the Chiefs.