The deadline to sign Orlando Brown Jr. to a longterm contract extension arrives on Friday, and from the sounds of it, the two sides aren't close to a deal. Brown reportedly wants to be paid top-dollar, and those connected with the Chiefs seem to think they're not willing to reset the tackle market. The fact that NFL Network is reporting that Brown may miss all of training camp -- and even Week 1 -- indicates just how serious both sides are about not conceding. So who's more likely to give up some ground first? Speaking to 610's Cody and Gold on Thursday afternoon, The Athletic's Nate Taylor explained why Brown is the one without any real leverage in these negotiations.
"[The franchise tag] is the most diabolical measure that exists in the NFL, based on the NFL's collective bargaining agreement with the Player's Association. This sort of move only affects a handful of players – as of right now, there are only four players who are still on the franchise tag. So it doesn't impact the large majority of players. But the owners diabolically somehow found a way to get the players to agree to the idea that [they] could lock in their salary for one year with no flexibility, which gives [them] all the leverage.
"I just want to make everyone understands that: Orlando Brown has no leverage. Zero. You may think he does, but he doesn't. The Chiefs have locked him into a salary for this upcoming season, and it's basically up to him whether he wants to play on a one-year, $16.6 million deal, or if he wants negotiate and get to some agreement for longterm security that is more team-friendly than if he were on the open market as a traditional unrestricted free agent ... it's looking like it's not going to happen. It feels like the Chiefs understand that there's really no need to move towards the middle."
You can listen to Taylor's entire interview in the player below: