7 March 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas Chief Chiefs will not place the franchise tag on Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., ahead of the March 7 deadline, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Chiefs are now on the clock to negotiate a long-term deal with Brown. The organization and Brown have until March 13 to come up with a deal both sides can agree upon.
Otherwise, free agency looms if they can’t agree on a deal.
The Chiefs used the franchise tag on Brown in 2022. Each of the 32 teams in the league are given the opportunity to “tag” one player who would otherwise be headed to the free agency market.
The Chiefs offered Brown a six-year, $140 million contract with more than $30 million guaranteed at signing last season, which would have made him one of the league’s highest-paid left tackles, according to ESPN. The rest of the guaranteed money in the deal wasn’t what Brown and his representatives wanted.
Brown joined the Chiefs in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens prior to the 2021 season.