It's possible that Orlando Brown Jr., a free-agent target of the Bears, may not become available on the market.
It's possible that two of the top players on the Chicago Bears' free agency wish list won't even hit the market. During a press conference on Tuesday, Head Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, Andy Reid, suggested that the team would work to retain left tackle Orlando Brown and right tackle Andrew Wylie.
"Those guys obviously had good years for us," Reid said. "All these contract things I haven't gotten with (Chiefs GM Brett) Veach on at all. I kind of stay out of that world, but I think both guys are very well-liked here and I'm sure that Brett will surely make a strong attempt at keeping them here. But we'll see how that goes."
The Bears offensive line struggled with inconsistent pass protection for quarterback Justin Fields throughout the season, in part due to starting a rookie, Braxton Jones, at left tackle. Frequent injuries necessitated reshuffling, and the team was sometimes simply outmatched. Regardless of the reasons, Brown and Wylie would both provide a boost if the Bears' general manager Ryan Poles managed to sign them.
The franchise tag window opens on February 21, and the negotiating period for free agents begins on March 13. Brown himself expressed a similar sentiment about his future with the Chiefs after the Super Bowl, saying "I'm pretty sure I know I'll be here next year, but we'll see how things go."
Brown played on the franchise tag last season, and if he and the Chiefs are unable to agree on a long-term deal, there's a chance he could be tagged again. However, that would be an expensive option since Brown's salary would increase by 20% for a one-year deal, earning him just under $20 million for the season.
Teams are only allowed to use one tag per year, so in order to keep both Brown and Wylie, the Chiefs will need to sign at least one of them to a new contract.
| POLL | ||
17 FEVRIER | 25 ANSWERS It's possible that Orlando Brown Jr., a free-agent target of the Bears, may not become available on the market. Should the Bears focus on the offensive line in free agency or the draft more? | ||
| Free agency | 8 | 32 % |
| Draft | 3 | 12 % |
| BOTH!! | 14 | 56 % |
| List of polls | ||
