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.”

[Red Dawg]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Dumb as ****. He missed less than half a season, missed no training camp the following season, turned in a Pro-Bowl year and won came back player of the year.

"Nerve to **** us over" aka he has the "nerve" to ask for his market value. Oh shame on him for asking the Chiefs to pay him what any other team would.

Market value my ass. He is not worth 12 mil per year.

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by Tuckdaddy

Market value my ass. He is not worth 12 mil per year.

Market dictates that, not you, the Chiefs or anyone else. He's an All-Pro safety. One of the best in the game.

You wan't good players? You pay for them. You don't draft star players, develop them, and then watch them go be studs for some other team.

You know who does that? The Chargers. You'll end up with a mediocre roster.

The Chiefs, under Dorsey, have done a great job of retaining their talent.

[Quesadilla Joe]

#Chiefs S Eric Berry said on @nflnetwork he’s “definitely not” playing on a franchise tag this year. Obviously a priority to sign long-term

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2017

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Bullshit yet again.

He's not great in zone coverage.

He is better in man-to-man where he can use his athleticism and size.

Berry is still better in the box as an undersized LB who can play the run,blitz and cover RB and TE's in man-to-man.


He's getting better playing deep but that takes time in learning to read offenses and the QB.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by Quesadilla Joe

#Chiefs S Eric Berry said on @nflnetwork he’s “definitely not” playing on a franchise tag this year. Obviously a priority to sign long-term

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2017

Go away

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by Quesadilla Joe

#Chiefs S Eric Berry said on @nflnetwork he’s “definitely not” playing on a franchise tag this year. Obviously a priority to sign long-term

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2017

Can't wait to hear the gnashing of the teeth over his comment.

[KranzDictum]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

He's not great in zone coverage.

He is better in man-to-man where he can use his athleticism and size.

Berry is still better in the box as an undersized LB who can play the run,blitz and cover RB and TE's in man-to-man.


He's getting better playing deep but that takes time in learning to read offenses and the QB.

Nit picking. Dude is a playmaker and made multiple plays late in games that won them for you. You pay the man for that. Doesn't matter if he is a CB, OLB or DE, you pay your playmakers.

Especially on a team built to win close games.

I would love to have him if we didn't have a glut of good safeties already.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Your safeties are average as ****

[Coogs]

Make an effort to sign him. If we can't, tag him with the tag that allows him to go get a deal with another club. The tag says 2 1st in return, but I think that is negotiable.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Coogs

Make an effort to sign him. If we can't, tag him with the tag that allows him to go get a deal with another club. The tag says 2 1st in return, but I think that is negotiable.

yep, just tag him so we control the situation.

Nobody is giving two 1st rd picks for him but that gives us leverage to either keep him or get something significant for him.

[Hoover]

If we can't get a long term deal done just let him walk.

Hell if we can't sign him make a run at Tony Jefferson

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Considering the garbage millions KC has paid in market value to its last two QB's, fans should be ecstatic that the franchise is paying market value for a player who actually deserves it.

[Buckweath]

Tag his sorry ass. Right now. No time for bluff. Seriously, love Berry but really not a fan of paying him much more than 10M. He is far from Polamalu out there.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Buckweath

He is far from Polamalu out there.

Is he really though?

[TribalElder]

“I’ll just take that time to chill with my family, honestly, (and) I’ll sit the season out,” Berry said, when asked what he’ll do if the Chiefs tag him again. “I just want what’s right. That’s it.”

And in the mind of Berry – and likely anyone who watched the way he led the Chiefs with his words and actions in 2016 – what’s right is a long-term contract with the Chiefs. He was hopeful of getting one last offseason but did not as he instead watched two younger, slightly less-accomplished safeties — Minnesota’s Harrison Smith and Arizona’s Tyrann Mathieu — receive the type of deals the 28-year-old Berry, who has two more Pro Bowls (five) than those two combined (three), had been seeking.

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