The Kansas City Chiefs have elected to use the franchise tag on Orlando Brown Jr. according to a new report.
Just as GM Brett Veach indicated they would, the Chiefs have placed the franchise tag on Brown ahead of the Tuesday, March 8 deadline. It marks the first time the Chiefs have used the franchise tag since 2020 when they placed it on DT Chris Jones before eventually signing him to a long-term contract extension.
After acquiring Brown in trade with the Baltimore Ravens last April, he went on to appear in 19 games for Kansas City including the postseason. He missed a single game in Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals with a calf injury suffered during warmups. Brown’s season ended with him earning his third consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl after his first season protecting Patrick Mahomes. With a successful inaugural campaign under his belt, it’s clear that the Chiefs envision Brown as their left tackle of the future.
Directly after the trade, there were reports that the team was willing to use the franchise tag on Brown in 2022. Now, that becomes a reality for Kansas City.
Kansas City Chiefs are franchise tagging OT Orlando Brown, per league sources. Brown becomes the first free-agent-to-be this off-season known to be getting the franchise tag.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2022
If Brown signs under the tag, he will earn a guaranteed salary of near $16.5 million for the 2022 NFL season. The team will also have until mid-July to lock Brown up to a long-term contract as a well, which is likely the end goal for Kansas City here. That said, if the two sides are unable to come to an agreement on a long-term contract extension, Brown won’t be hitting free agency and the Chiefs will have the franchise tag to fall back on.
