Veach says KC Chiefs still plan to pursue Orlando Brown Jr. long-term deal next year
Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach says he hopes to be able to revisit a contract extension with left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. after the season, even after both sides failed to agree to a long-term deal before the July 15 deadline.
Veach, in a conversation with The Star on Thursday, said the Chiefs harbor no ill will toward Brown following the two parties’ recent negotiations.
“The agency has advisors around him, and we respect his decision,” Veach said. “And it’s not going to limit our pursuit of him next year. We’re gonna continue to try to get him locked up.”
NFL Network’s Mike Garafalo previously 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.
The Chiefs earlier placed the 26-year-old Brown on the franchise tag — a one-year deal worth $16.7 million — while initially hoping to work out a longer pact. Because the two sides failed to get a deal before July 15, they are not able to return to long-term negotiations until after the 2022 season.
Brown has not yet appeared at training camp in St. Joseph, and because he has not signed the tender, he is not subject to fines while absent.
When asked if he expected Brown to arrive before the end of camp, Veach said he didn’t know.
“I haven’t gotten any indication of when that might happen,” Veach said of Brown’s report date. “But again, obviously there’s the time frame that he has until he has to officially report.
“All I know is that we’re excited and anxious to get him back. And when he is ready to come back, we’re going to welcome him with open arms. I’m sure that Coach (Andy Reid) and I will get a chance to have a good conversation with him, and we’ll certainly let him know how much we love him, appreciate him.”
Brown must play under the franchise tag this year to get paid his $16.7 million contract.
Veach reiterated that the Chiefs remain interested in Brown for the distant future once he returns to the team.
“This is the business side. It’s not always pretty, but it’s reality,” Veach said. “But that won’t at all limit our want or desire to put this behind us and then hopefully get something done next year with him.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2022 at 9:59 AM with the headline "Veach says KC Chiefs still plan to pursue Orlando Brown Jr. long-term deal next year."
