Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry will be playing the 2016 NFL season on the franchise tag.
According to Rand Getlin of NFL Network, Berry and the Chiefs failed to agree on a long-term deal before Friday’s deadline for tagged players.
I’m told there will be no long-term deal reached between the #Chiefs and Eric Berry. Never looked good to get done. This is final.
— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) July 15, 2016
Berry, 27, returned from beating cancer to make the Pro Bowl and help the Chiefs reach the postseason. Kansas City’s defense ranked third in scoring, a big factor in the Chiefs winning 11 games.
Various reports earlier in the week considered a new deal “unlikely” for Berry, who intercepted two passes last season.
Mike Garafolo reported a big snag in negotiations between the two sides:
During talks w Eric Berry, Chiefs proposed he pay for a disability policy that named the club as beneficiary, sources say. Later backed off.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 15, 2016
The 2015 Comeback Player of the Year was likely looking for a deal in the range of Harrison Smith’s five-year, $52.1 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
The franchise tag for safeties is worth $10.8 million in 2016. Berry and Chiefs can’t negotiate a long-term deal until after the regular season.
