Chiefs welcome Brown back to camp

The Chiefs placed a franchise tag on him this year, but the two parties could not agree on the five-year, $91 million extension proposed by the Chiefs. Up until this point, Brown Jr. did not attend Chiefs training camp.

The three time Pro-Bowler wasn’t able to come to a conclusion with the team, not due in part to the amount of money offered, but something else.

“With the contract situation, there just weren’t enough guarantees,” Brown Jr. said. “I want to be here for the rest of my career in Kansas City.”

The sound of Brown Jr. wanting to stay in Kansas City for the entirety of his career might be music to Chiefs fans’ ears, and rightfully so. He’s made the Pro Bowl the previous three years and provides an anchor on the offensive line.

While the lineman is back in the red and gold, the waiting period before he could rejoin his team for the second year took a toll on him.

“Very emotional, man. You know, I’ve spoken to, you know, a lot of people here in the front office, Coach Reid and everyone understands, man,” Brown Jr. said. “I love ball. You know, I love blocking for Pat Mahomes, I love putting the Chiefs logo on my helmet, man. I really enjoy being here.”

On Tuesday, he officially reported to the team and signed his franchise tender, locking in his $16.7 million salary for the 2022 season.

To have such an important figure on your team means there is minimal room for error, and there was no doubt about the importance of solving this problem early on, and getting himself back on the field.

“I missed a lot of ball up until this point. I missed the locker room, I missed the coaches, you know, everyone here in the building,” Brown Jr. said. “I know how important this five day stretch is to Coach Reid and everybody.”

There could be some worries attached to Brown Jr.’s play after missing OTA’s and part of training camp. However, he’s been training in Miami by playing tennis, swimming and other training methods.

This type of training is allowing him to re-identify his play style, and could work in his favor when he takes the field Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals.

“I want to be a better run blocker, a better pass blocker, a better leader, you know, allowing them to count on me when they need me,” Brown Jr. said.

As for moving forward, and Brown Jr. wanting to spend his entire career in Kansas City, he’s put any troubles and arguments behind him.

“It’s no hard feelings, period. You know what I mean? Like, nothing, nothing like that. It’s like I said, I appreciate everyone in this building, and they give me the opportunity to play football at the highest level and to be a left tackle,” Brown Jr. said. “‘I’ve got no animosity towards anyone. Me and Veach have talked, me and Coach Reid have spoken. Understand business is business.”