The deadline for the franchise-tagged players in the NFL to get a long-term deal done is set for Friday. Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry won’t be among those that get a deal done.
It’s been a busy week for Eric Berry.
On top of accepting the Best Comeback Athlete ESPY award during the 2016 ESPYS, the time continued to draw near for Berry and the Kansas City Chiefs to get a long-term deal to keep Berry in the red, yellow and white for more years to come.
It appears that’s not going to happen before the July 15 deadline for franchised-tagged players.
I'm told there will be no long-term deal reached between the #Chiefs and Eric Berry. Never looked good to get done. This is final.
— Rand Getlin (@RandGetlin) July 15, 2016
Back in March, the Chiefs tagged Berry in hopes of getting a deal done by the deadline. Berry could negotiate with other teams with the $10.8 million franchise tag on him, but teams would have to give the Chiefs two first-round picks if they were to try and attempt to actually sign Berry to a deal.
Berry didn’t participate in the Chiefs’ offseason activities and didn’t participate in the team’s minicamp, but still hopes that he came remain with the franchise.
He’ll be a Chief this season, but Kansas City has to find a way to keep Berry on their payroll. Berry’s been the model of perseverance for the Chiefs, tearing his ACL in 2011, battling through a severe high ankle sprain and his bout with Hodgkin’s lymphoma back in 2014. He’s one of the best safeties in the NFL and a beloved figure among Chiefs fans and football fans overall.
The Chiefs are one of the league’s best teams on the defensive side of the ball and Berry is a huge reason why Kansas City won a playoff game on the road last season and ranked among the NFL’s top-10 defenses.
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