KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. did not sign a long-term contract ahead of Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline, Brown’s agent, Michael Portner, confirmed to The Kansas City Star on Friday morning.
Because the two sides failed to get a deal before Friday, they are not able to return to long-term negotiations until after the 2022 season. The Chiefs previously placed the 26-year-old Brown on the franchise tag while hoping to work out a longer deal.
NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero reported Friday that the Chiefs offered Brown a six-year deal, but that Brown and Portner were looking for more security.
“We got really close. We enjoyed dealing with the Chiefs and we understand their position as well,” Portner told Pelissero. “I’m not gonna let these athletes sign a flashy contract without the substance or security there.”
NFL Network’s Mike Garafalo later reported, citing a source, that the Chiefs offered Brown $91 million over five years ($18.2 million annually, an amount that would’ve ranked sixth among NFL left tackles and eighth among all tackles). A sixth year at the back end of the contract would’ve ostensibly been worth $40 million-plus, Garafalo wrote, citing the source, but was never meant to be paid; instead, it would’ve served as an artificial way for Brown to say he’d signed the largest contract for a tackle in terms of average annual value.
Under the franchise tag, Brown’s one-year deal this season would be for $16.7 million. Brown has not signed that tender yet, meaning there is the potential for this to remain a topic of interest in the weeks to come; Garafalo reported earlier this week that if an extension didn’t get signed, he wouldn’t expect Brown for the start of training camp ... with Week 1 in some doubt, as well.
If Brown chooses to not play games while not signing the tag, though, he also would not be paid.
This is just the latest chapter in what has been a drawn-out process for the Chiefs to try to solidify their left-tackle position.
They invested heavily to get Brown before last season, trading a first-round pick (along with other selections) to the Baltimore Ravens to make him their new starting left tackle. As a result, Brown started 19 games last year and earned a Pro Bowl selection, allowing six sacks and 45 QB pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
Brown’s initial negotiations with the Chiefs were stalled earlier this offseason as he sought to hire a new agent; he announced he had hired Portner on June 2.
There still was optimism a long-term agreement could be reached. That included quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who in mid-June said he was “very confident” that a long-term deal would eventually get done between the Chiefs and Brown. Mahomes said he had been around Brown and his family “a lot” this offseason in Kansas City.
“He loves football. He loves the Kansas City Chiefs. He loves being here in this organization,” Mahomes said on June 16. “And so now, it’s just kind of the stuff that’s always tough — that’s the business side of this.”
The Chiefs went through a similar contract negotiation process with defensive tackle Chris Jones two years ago: They placed the franchise tag on him in 2020, but the two sides agreed to a four-year extension on the day before the deadline.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach referenced the Jones deal in late April when asked about Brown, saying these types of discussions often are sorted out late in the process.
This time, though, the long-term negotiations didn’t bear fruit, meaning Brown’s status will be a storyline to watch as training camp begins in two weeks.
———
The Star’s Herbie Teope contributed to this report.
