Kansas City Chiefs: Franchise Tag Options Loom Large

Eric Berry

There was a bit of an argument among Kansas City Chiefs fans regarding Eric Berry in 2016. Many felt a long-term deal was a must, while many others thought it was time to move on. The Chiefs and Berry hit an impasse in negotiations, so the Franchise Tag came into play. Since then, Eric Berry has made a pretty strong case for getting that big contract.

There is almost no doubt that Eric Berry was a vital cog in the Chiefs 2016 campaign. It could be argued that he single-handed won the game against the Falcons (sure, it would be hyperbole…still could be argued). The Kansas City Chiefs have also made it well known that Berry is the emotional leader of the team, often providing inspiring speeches ahead of big games.

However, the Chiefs have been cautious about his contract before. Now, that may have had more to do with a fear that Berry’s cancer would return, but the Chiefs have still exercised caution here. The Chiefs can’t just let Berry walk out the door though. So the Franchise Tag is still very much in play here.

Well, the good news there is that Joel Corry seems to be pretty sure the Chiefs will keep Eric Berry around. The bad news is that he seems to think that the Franchise Tag is again in play. That is less than ideal for a team that currently has just $4.6 million in cap space. Yes, they can open up a good bit more (I’ll talk more on that later), but it’s still not good fiscal management. Hopefully a deal can get done.