According to ESPN’s Ed Werder, the current expectation for the Chiefs is that unless they’re able to sign either S Eric Berry of DT Dontari Poe to a long-term in the next 48 hours, Kansas City will franchise Berry and Poe to become an unrestricted free agent.
Berry is clearly the priority for the Chiefs. However, he has made it clear that he has no plans to play out another season under the franchise tag, so the two sides will need to be focused on getting a long-term deal in place.
Berry admitted that he isn’t getting his hopes up when it comes to a long-term contract.
“I’m going to keep being patient because you never know,” Berry said Sunday, via the Kansas City Star. “Last year I thought one thing and it didn’t happen. So I’m not getting my hopes up; I’m looking at it logically.”
It would cost the Chiefs around $13.15 million to tag him for a second straight season while franchising Poe would be $13.5 million or so.
Berry, 28, worked his way back from Hodgkin’s lymphoma and managed to produce an impressive 2015 season. if a former first-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2010. He played out his rookie contract with the team before receiving the team’s franchise tag back in February.
The franchise tag cost the Chiefs $10.806 million fully guaranteed for the 2016 season.
In 2016, Berry appeared in all 16 games and recorded 77 tackles, four interceptions with two being returned for touchdowns, a forced fumble and nine pass defenses for the Chiefs. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 8 safety out of 92 qualifying players.
Poe, 26, is a former first-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2012. He played out his four-year, $11,320,006 contract but the Chiefs picked up his fifth-year option last year that will cost them $6.15 million for the 2106 season.
In 2016, Poe has appeared in all 16 games for the Chiefs and recorded 27 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and three pass defenses. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 46 interior defensive lineman out of 126 qualifying players.
We have both of them featured in our Top 100 – 2017 Free Agents list.
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