No Tag For Orlando Brown Jr., Chiefs To Cut Frank Clark? -

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On Monday afternoon, we received two significant indications on some key roster moves for the Kansas City Chiefs. The 2023 roster has most of its cornerstones set in place. However, the possible changes that Kansas City may undertake will be fascinating to monitor. Two of those possible changes could involve Orlando Brown Jr. and Frank Clark.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Chiefs will not be using the franchise tag on Brown Jr. before today’s deadline. There is still time for Kansas City and him to hammer out a new deal before next week. But obviously, other teams have the opportunity to negotiate with Brown Jr. when the legal tampering period opens on Monday, March 13th.

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— Full Press NFL (@FullPressNFL) March 6, 2023

Meanwhile, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Clark’s agent Erik Burkhardt and Kansas City were unable to find common ground on a reworked deal. That leads to an expectation that Clark will be released by the Chiefs, as a result.

Chiefs and Frank Clark’s agent Erik Burkhardt were unable to find common ground on a reworked deal during several conversations at the combine and the expectation now is that Kansas City will release the 29-year-old DE who is the NFL’s third all-time leading postseason sack… https://t.co/IqjwATIWSt

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 6, 2023

What do these reports mean for the Kansas City Chiefs at the beginning of the 2023 NFL league year? Plus, what paths may the team take to replace these two, if both of them indeed move on? Let’s kick it off.

Brown Jr. All But Gone?

It seems that the decision not to franchise tag Orlando Brown Jr. caught most people by surprise. Of course, Kansas City already tagged him last year, paying him a guaranteed salary of $16.662 million last season. A franchise tag would have paid Brown Jr. around $20 million in 2023, had he and the Chiefs been unable to agree to a long-term deal.

The player and the team were unable to agree to a long-term deal last year. Kansas City may have constructed a contract that was hefty, in terms of average annual value. There was reportedly little guaranteed money on that contract offer, though.

By not applying the franchise tag to Orlando Brown Jr. in 2023, the Chiefs options could change drastically. They could always get a deal done by Monday, before the legal tampering period opens. But as of now, there is a growing sense that Brown Jr. will get to test the open market.

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How Could Chiefs Replace Brown Jr., If Necessary?

There are a few different paths that the Chiefs may have at their disposal. For one, if they want to get a deal done and retain him, the urgency will be there immediately. Kansas City still has five full days to negotiate with him exclusively before he can talk to other teams. And if he does reach the open market, the Chiefs could still look to match any outside offer, if they so choose.

Say Brown Jr. walks and signs elsewhere. General manager Brett Veach may not have a lot of standout options in this year’s free agent market. That route may not be completely bare, however. That is especially true, if the Chiefs look for a proven, one-year stopgap option.

Finally, the 2023 NFL Draft presents encouraging options for Kansas City. The team could be looking to select an offensive tackle early. All told, this class looks to be mostly deep at the position. If a rookie offensive tackle were to play for the Chiefs in 2023, they would definitely play on a much cheaper price tag, compared to what Brown Jr. would command.

Business Decision Will Not Erase Memories

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Reports of Clark’s representation and the Chiefs being unable to find common ground on a reworked deal may not be all that shocking. For starters, Clark helped Kansas City out last year by reworking his deal. That resulted in him taking nearly a 50 percent pay cut, compared to what he was originally due for 2022. By releasing Clark, the Chiefs free up $21 million in salary cap space, via Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated. Kansas City would have to eat $7.7 million of dead money.

With the (expected) release of Frank Clark, the Chiefs save $21M in cap space but also eat $7.7M in dead money

— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) March 6, 2023

Despite those salary cap and money hurdles, the Frank Clark run will always be remembered by Kansas City and Chiefs fans. He may not have been what the team hoped for during all of the regular season games. Yet, his effort, leadership and determination in the postseason was simply remarkable. Clark helped transform the defense’s attitude and led them to three Super Bowl appearances, winning two of those. If this is truly it, there will forever be fond memories of Frank Clark in Kansas City.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis in the coming days. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.