Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. played last season under the dreaded franchise tag. It was his second year in Kansas City after being acquired from the Baltimore Ravens in a blockbuster trade. To say that Brown was not happy about being handed the tag would be an understatement.
This will not repeat itself in 2023. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the defending champs have opted against placing the tag on Brown for a second consecutive season. Said move would have come at a high cost of $20 Million.
Short of the two sides reaching a long-term agreement ahead of Monday, Brown will now be able to talk to other teams during the NFL free agent tampering period.
This could have some wide-ranging ramifications around the NFL as teams prepare for the market to open. Simply put, franchise left tackles such as Orlando Brown Jr. rarely hit free agency. Having earned four consecutive Pro Bowl nods, the 26-year-old Brown will now be among the most-coveted free agents on the market.
We fully expect teams with a ton of cap room such as the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders to do everything possible to land Brown should he actually hit the open market.
Protecting reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes‘ blindside a season ago, Orlando Brown allowed four sacks while playing 1,133 snaps on offense. He truly is one of the top left tackles in the NFL.