The Kansas City Chiefs know Patrick Mahomes is their ticket to compete, which means protecting him with Orlando Brown is a top priority.
The Kansas City Chiefs have until July 15 to sign Orlando Brown Jr. Expect it to happen.
While nothings certain in the NFL, the Chiefs understand their situation. Kansas City needs to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes, which is why they gave up the value of a high second-round pick last year to acquire Brown from the Baltimore Ravens.
In his first season with the Chiefs — on the final year of his rookie deal — Brown made his third straight Pro Bowl and first primarily as a left tackle after working mostly on the right side for the Ravens.
Now, the 26-year-old is sitting on the franchise tag, waiting for a new contract to be hammered out by the July 15 deadline. To help the process along, Brown recently hired agent Michael Portner to negotiate the pact.
On Tuesday, Brown went on NFL Network’s NFL Total Access and talked about his feeling regarding getting a long-term deal done before the season. Per NFL.com:
“Very confident. Very confident. Especially simply based off the things that have come into effect within our division, the type of defensive ends that have been brought in, the type of players and all of that type of stuff. It’s not the year to go into the season with a backup left tackle. So, I’m very confident that the Kansas City Chiefs will get that done.”
Frankly, it makes too much sense for both sides. The Chiefs have the cap space now and into the future after trading star receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for five draft picks. And with Brown in his prime, there’s no need to worry about him falling off physically over the life of the deal.
For Brown, staying in Kansas City means security before playing another snap, and doing so for a team that appears ready to contend for the next decade with Mahomes at the helm. Additionally, he’s now proven he can play left tackle at a quality level, removing all doubt that may have existed.
While potential nine-figure contracts can hit snags and fall apart, the Chiefs and Brown are both motivated to get a deal done. When that’s the case, smart money says it’ll happen at some juncture.
