KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. has no hard feelings after contract talks with the Kansas City Chiefs broke down before an agreement on a long-term deal could be reached.
Brown, who was acquired via trade with Baltimore before the 2021 NFL Draft, reported to camp Monday after missing all previous offseason workouts after the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on him in March.
“There’s no hard feelings, period,” Brown said Tuesday at training camp in St. Joseph. “Nothing like that. I appreciate everyone in this building. They give me the opportunity to play football at the highest level and to be a left tackle. I’ve got no animosity toward anyone in this building.”
Quite the contrary, Brown said he chose to end a brief holdout, sign the franchise tag and report to camp in hopes of helping the Chiefs chase a Super Bowl during the upcoming season.
“I know how important this five-day stretch is to Coach (Andy) Reid and everybody here in KC,” Brown said. “It didn’t feel right sitting at home, missing out on this. This is something I wanted to be a part of. I was brought here to try and win Super Bowls, and this week is very important to our progression.”
Brown, who spent the offseason playing tennis and swimming, among other activities, as he trained in Florida, said he “felt good” in his first offseason practice Tuesday with the team in preparation for 2022.
“I was excited to get out there and get some live reps,” Brown said. “I’ve been doing a ton of stuff, training on my own and stuff like that, but it felt good to get out there with my guys. ... It was difficult to be away from it for so long, but the understanding was that I had to do what I had to do.”
Brown confirmed that he rejected the Chiefs’ offer, reportedly worth $95 million over five years in realistic terms, because there wasn’t enough guaranteed money.
But he also reiterated his desire to stay in Kansas City.
“I want to be here; I want to finish my career here in Kansas City,” Brown said. “To me, with the contract situation, there just weren't enough guarantees. I want to be here for the rest of my career here in Kansas City. That’s really important to me.”
Now that he’s reported to camp, Brown said his focus is on the 2022 season.
“Business is business,” Brown said. “At the end of the day, that part is behind us for now. We’re moving forward and, like I said, I’m here to win Super Bowls. That’s what I care about.”
As for his future and a lucrative contract extension, “Things will get taken care of with time,” Brown said. “I just look forward to getting out there on the field this year.”
Brown, who wasn’t sure when the two sides might pick up talks again, said he hopes to improve as a pass-blocker, run-blocker and leader and coax the Chiefs into sweetening a long-term deal to keep him around.
Ultimately, Brown still has designs on earning a long-term contract from Kansas City: “My production and what I do on the field. Hopefully, I’ll showcase that as the years goes on. I just want to progress and continue to get better. I don’t think I’ve come close to my ceiling yet.”
He’s comfortable feeling like he still has more to prove.
“I always feel like I’ve got something to prove,” Brown said. “I was a third-round pick. I had the worst Combine in history. The list goes on and on, so the chip’s always been really big (on my shoulder).”
Brown fired his agent shortly after the 2021 season ended and didn’t have representation for several months after Kansas City tagged him.
He signed with agent Michael Portner in early June.
Per the NFL/NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, Brown and the Chiefs had until July 15 to try and negotiate a long-term contract extension before the franchise tag locked in at nearly $16.7 million for the upcoming season, according to Over the Cap.
