Andy Reid Unsure If Orlando Brown Jr. Will Be at Chiefs Camp: ‘If Not, We Move on’

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Veteran left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and the Kansas City Chiefs failed to come to terms on a long-term extension for franchise-tagged players by last week’s deadline, and now the club is unsure if he’ll show up to training camp.

“I don’t know that. If he’s here, great. If not, we move on,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters Friday. “We know Joe Thuney can do it in a heartbeat.”

Reid’s comments come after NFL Network’s Jeffri Chadiha (h/t Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star) reported that the Chiefs were frustrated with Brown’s refusal to sign a long-term extension.

“There was frustration and there was disappointment,” Chadiha said, per Grathoff. “They really like Orlando Brown Jr., they love having him be a part of this team, but the money he was asking for was too high for them. They feel like they don’t want to not have stability at left tackle here, but they also don’t want to pay top-of-the-market money for a player that they don’t think is the best player at his position in the NFL.”

The Chiefs placed the $16.7 million franchise tag on Brown in March and were hopeful of reaching an agreement with the 26-year-old.

Kansas City offered Brown $91 million over the first five years of a contract, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, who added that the sixth year of the deal would have been worth more than $40 million “strictly to inflate the average annual value to the top of the market. That year would’ve never been meant to be paid.”

Garafolo also reported that Brown asked for “top-of-the-market money” on an extension worth around $23 million per year. However, the Chiefs reportedly offered him around $19 million annually.

The Chiefs acquired Brown from the Baltimore Ravens in April 2021 in exchange for four draft picks and he was a Pro Bowler in his first season with the franchise in 2022.

In his first three seasons with the Ravens, he earned two Pro Bowl selections.

If Brown doesn’t report to training camp and misses the beginning of the 2022 campaign, the Chiefs can turn to Geron Christian at left tackle.