KANSAS CITY, MO. — The Kansas City Chiefs announced Monday that it has placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
The move, which was widely speculated, was first reported Monday morning by ESPN's Adam Schefter and other reports.
Each NFL team is allowed to use the franchise tag on one pending free agent per offseason. That player receives a guaranteed salary and remains tied to their original team, preventing them from hitting the open market.
Players who are tagged can still try to work out a long-term deal with the team, which would allow the Chiefs, in this case, to reduce his salary-cap number for the upcoming season.
Kansas City expects to work out a long-term deal ahead of the deadline, according to NFL Network reporter James Palmer.
The deadline to agree to a long-term deal, which would supersede the franchise tag, is July 15.
The Chiefs traded several draft picks, including last year's first-round picker, to the Baltimore Ravens in April 2021 for Brown.
Adding the 6-foot-8, 344-pound tackle was part of the team's strategy to overhaul the offensive line and place protection around quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Brown started 16 of 17 games last season and General Manager Brett Veach signaled early in the offseason that the Brown fit into the Chiefs' long-term plans at left tackle.
The projected franchise-tag contract value for offensive linemen is roughly $16.662 million in 2022, according to NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo.
The franchise tag will help the Chiefs keep their offensive line intact while working around a tricky salary cap.
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Using the franchise tag on Brown makes it increasingly likely safety Tyrann Mathieu will move on from the Chiefs as he's going to hit the open market and almost certainly will receive a more-lucrative offer from another team.
