Eric Berry ‘a bit surprised’ on lack of extension progress

[Quesadilla Joe]

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl...e88612427.html

Spoiler!

Against the backdrop of approximately 352 kids laughing, jumping and playing on a humid summer night, Chiefs safety Eric Berry wore a smile on his face as he stood on the turf at North Kansas City High School and explained what he knew about his current contract status.

And Berry — who has until July 15 to get an extension done with the Chiefs, lest he play the 2016 under the one-year franchise tag — took a break from his sixth annual free youth football camp on Friday and made a few things clear.

One, he absolutely still wants to be a Chief for the long term.

And, two, yes, he is a bit surprised it’s taken so long for a new deal to get done.

“I thought it would progress a little bit more,” Berry said. “But it’s still been pretty much the same since the last time we talked. A lot can change in a week. A lot can change for whenever the deadline is.”

Berry’s surprise makes sense. Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said at the NFL’s annual meeting in March that he’s hopeful to get a long-term deal done with Berry, and that he’s “certainly” somebody that they “would like to be a Chief for a very, very long time.”

Hunt added that he got a sense that Berry shared the sentiment to stay, a notion the 27-year old Berry — who has spent the last seven years with the Chiefs — also said in March and repeated Friday.

“Obviously I’d love to be a Chief — I want to be a Chief long term, just because of the community, the staff, from top to bottom, the players and everything,” Berry said. “But sometimes things don’t go as planned, and I’m prepared for that, but hopefully it goes as planned, and I’m prepared for that, as well.”

If the Chiefs can’t reach a new deal with Berry before the July 15 deadline, Berry would have to play the 2016 season under the $10.8 million franchise tender. However, he could also hold off on signing the tender, which would allow him to skip training camp and the preseason and return shortly before the regular season and still collect his full $10.8 million salary.

Still, an extension is sensible for both sides. Although the franchise tender is good money (and guaranteed, too) Berry stands to collect far more guaranteed money with a new deal, as he has the same number of all-pro selections (two) and three more Pro Bowl selections (four) than the league’s highest-paid safety, Harrison Smith, who recently signed a five-year, $51.25 million pact with the Vikings that includes nearly $29 million guaranteed.

What’s more, assuming Berry agreed to a richer deal than Smith’s, the cash-strapped Chiefs — who have a league-low $226,818 in cap space. according to the NFL Players Association — would still stand to create a minimum of $3 million or so in cap room this year with an extension. Iit’s worth noting the team already has a significant amount of money committed to 2017 — upwards of $166 million, which already surpasses the 2016 cap number of $155 million.

The Chiefs also have the option of rescinding the tender on Berry, which would create $10.8 million in cap room. However, that would make one of their most popular — and more important — players an unrestricted free agent, which hardly seems like a reasonable option for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

“It’s a completely different atmosphere (without him),” said center Mitch Morse, who helped out at Berry’s camp on Friday. “I’ve only met a few people who, when they walk into a room full of people, that you feel their presence and people immediately shut up. He’s such a profound speaker, and he has profound things to say, and you inherently want to listen and gain knowledge. You respect the hell out of him.”

Berry, who fast-tracked his way back from a December 2014 diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma to return in time for the start of training camp last July, served as the emotional leader of the 2015 Chiefs, which rallied from a 1-5 start to win 11 straight games, including their first playoff win in 22 years.

He did it on the field too, as he looked quicker and faster than in previous seasons — he was back to playing at his college weight of 210 pounds — on the way to racking up 61 tackles, 10 pass deflections and two interceptions and make the Pro Bowl, be named an all-pro and win the NFL’s comeback player of the year award.

“He’s one of the main focal points of this team,” said Morse, whose comments have been parroted by several teammates, including quarterback Alex Smith. “He means a lot to Chiefs Kingdom, and he sure as hell means a lot to us, as players. We’re incomplete without him and we love the energy and passion he brings.”

Still, business is business, and Berry understands that. One of his closest friends on the team is outside linebacker Justin Houston, who was franchise-tagged in March 2015 after a 22-sack season and had to wait out the next several months as his agent, Joel Segal, and the Chiefs hammered out a six-year, $101 million extension right before the July 15 deadline.

“It’s crazy because I was talking to him when he was going through the exact same thing — it’s like roles have switched just a year later,” Berry said. “He just keeps telling me to be patient and control what I can control. So I gave him that advice, and he’s given me the same advice. That’s all I can do.”

So Berry, who has always believed in letting his work speak for himself, has spent the last several months training in Florida, getting ready for the season.

He looked trim and happy as he worked with the kids on Friday — the turnout was the best his camp in Kansas City has ever had, by the way — his trademark brown, red-tinged hair and goatee fluffy and full, a stark contrast to the way he looked last summer, even after his chemo treatments had long come to an end.

To be sure, Berry is grateful for that, a fact that came across as he spoke optimistically about his goals for the next several months, despite the uncertainty of his contract situation.

“I definitely want to get a ring, and I definitely want to be a Chief,” Berry said. “Hopefully, we can make that happen.”

And to be clear, Berry hasn’t lost faith, regardless of his surprise at the lack of recent progress.

“You know miracles happen — I’m a witness,” Berry said with a smile. “So it might go down to the wire, you know ... and hopefully they handle their end, and hopefully it comes together like it’s supposed to.”

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Bowser

I don't fault Berry for wanting to look out for his interests in the least. It would just appear that he and his agent overvalued his worth. He's better than Harrison Smith, but even Harrison Smith is wildly overpaid. Berry might have well taken it personally when the Chiefs told him he'd have to pay for his own insurance if the cancer came back, who knows?

I'm not mad at the Chiefs on this one. I'm not mad at anybody, it just is what it is.

Who you have faulted the Chiefs for reducing his salary last year?

[Mr. Laz]

Last i heard the Chiefs were making about 50-60 million profit per year. I believe the league profit sharing breakdown ensures that each team makes at least 35 million profit.

also that the chiefs were worth about 900 million

[BleedingRed]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

Last i heard the Chiefs were making about 50-60 million profit per year. I believe the league profit sharing breakdown ensures that each team makes at least 35 million profit.

also that the chiefs were worth about 900 million

Meanwhile the Cowboys made 239 million in profit and are worth 4 billion

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by BleedingRed

Meanwhile the Cowboys made 239 million in profit and are worth 4 billion

Then root for the Cowboys.

You won't be missed.

Good riddance, again, houstonwhodat.

[O.city]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/07/16/m...r-goodell-nfl#

Little insight on what happened. I didn't know the franchise tag had changed in how it's formulated

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by O.city

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/07/16/m...r-goodell-nfl#

Little insight on what happened. I didn't know the franchise tag had changed in how it's formulated

.

Eric Berry and franchise tag thoughts
Deadlines drive action in the NFL, but there wasn’t much driving being done Friday, when the deadline came and went for signing franchise-tagged players to long-term deals.

Last year, all of the tagged players except Jason Pierre-Paul (for obvious reasons) got multi-year contracts. This year, Chiefs safety Eric Berry, Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery and Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins will spend 2016 under one-year contracts.
The lack of deals flows largely from the revised formula for determining the franchise tag. No longer determined by averaging the cap numbers of the five highest-paid players at the position in the prior year, the franchise tag is now calculated by taking the tag amounts at a given position for the past five years, adding them together, and dividing the sum by the total combined salary caps for the last five years. The resulting percentage is then applied to the current year’s salary cap.

In English, this means the tag for each position has settled on a specific percentage that has essentially locked into place. As the cap goes up, the franchise tag will go up, regardless of what the market does.
That’s why, for example, Chiefs safety Eric Berry will make $10.8 million this year—an amount more than any other safety will earn in 2016 on a multi-year deal. Over the last five years, the franchise tag for safeties has accounted for 6.95 percent of the salary cap. The market at the position hasn’t kept.

That’s also why the Chiefs and Berry didn’t work out a new contract; with $10.8 million in the bank for 2016 and, by rule, a 20-percent raise next year if the Chiefs tag him again (i.e., $12.96 million), Berry had no reason to accept anything less than the sum of his 2016 and 2017 tag amounts as fully-guaranteed payments at signing. Given the league-wide market at the position, the Chiefs felt no compulsion to give Berry $23.76 million fully-guaranteed at signing.

As a result, Berry will play this year under the tag. Next year, the Chiefs will tag him at $12.96 million (less likely) or let the actual safety market determine his value (more likely).

[ChiefGator]

Originally Posted by O.city

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/07/16/m...r-goodell-nfl#

Little insight on what happened. I didn't know the franchise tag had changed in how it's formulated

Very interesting... click on that link.

But, below is the key point..

The lack of deals flows largely from the revised formula for determining the franchise tag. No longer determined by averaging the cap numbers of the five highest-paid players at the position in the prior year, the franchise tag is now calculated by taking the tag amounts at a given position for the past five years, adding them together, and dividing the sum by the total combined salary caps for the last five years. The resulting percentage is then applied to the current year’s salary cap.

In English, this means the tag for each position has settled on a specific percentage that has essentially locked into place. As the cap goes up, the franchise tag will go up, regardless of what the market does.

That’s why, for example, Chiefs safety Eric Berry will make $10.8 million this year—an amount more than any other safety will earn in 2016 on a multi-year deal. Over the last five years, the franchise tag for safeties has accounted for 6.95 percent of the salary cap. The market at the position hasn’t kept.

[O.city]

After reading that, I get why both sides are where they are. Seems like a flaw in the system

[O.city]

2016 franchise tag, a glitch in the matrix

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by O.city

After reading that, I get why both sides are where they are. Seems like a flaw in the system

And that's just the starting point.

He and his agent knew that if he was Franchised two years in a row, he'd earn close to $24 million. So the parameters for Guaranteed Money started at $35 million.

Yet completely reeruned dipshits on the internet (including Sam Mellinger, who's quickly deteriorating into a garbage columnist) think the Chiefs erred.

He's a moron.

[mcaj22]

so Berrys starting point was at least

year 1: 10.8
year 2. 12.9

so he wanted 23 million over two years based on the fact he would get franchised tagged twice at that amount

That's a lot of coin for a safety.

[DJ's left nut]

He still hasn't signed it.

He's still not guaranteed a ****ing thing.

Unless we lose it for some period of time (or are simply prohibited from doing it), I'd still rescind it.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

He still hasn't signed it.

He's still not guaranteed a ****ing thing.

Unless we lose it for some period of time (or are simply prohibited from doing it), I'd still rescind it.

At this point, it would have been smarter to target a safety in free agency and let him walk.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

At this point, it would have been smarter to target a safety in free agency and let him walk.

I just feel like we've proven that this team can play without him.

Parker at single high and some combination of Fleming/Brown playing Abdullah's role. It worked.

The whole "we look forward to negotiating with him in the off-season" thing is obviously bullshit. He's going to be a year older and with one more year of leverage. He'll have been given another massive single-year salary. If the Chiefs had any interest in giving him the salary he's going to demand next year, they'd have just rolled it into their deal this year.

This isn't like Houston's situation where they weren't entirely sure what they had just yet. What they got out of Berry last year is peak Berry. They know what he is and anything else is actually downside. Houston still had baked in upside and it was to the benefit of both parties to see if he'd reach it before they entered into a long-term arrangement.

Berry is this. He's not going to be better than he was and his decline years are going to start soon enough. If the Chiefs didn't feel he was worth that long-term investment now, they never will.

And if the tag isn't going to be used to create a long-term deal, then it shouldn't be used.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by O.city

At this point, it would have been smarter to target a safety in free agency and let him walk.

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

He still hasn't signed it.

He's still not guaranteed a ****ing thing.

Unless we lose it for some period of time (or are simply prohibited from doing it), I'd still rescind it.

It appears as if there was a failure of communication by one or both parties.

Had the Chiefs known that Berry wanted $35 million guaranteed, I would *think* that they would have kept Tyvon Branch at $5 million per and either traded Berry or allowed him to become a free agent, as well as drafting a replacement.

Something isn't adding up, unless it was a gigantic PR move on the Chiefs side. "Hey, we tried".