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.”

[Chief Northman]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Exactly. And to the contrary, he won't be "cancer free" until he's been cleared for 5 full years.

And all the more reason for the Chiefs to seek protection in the extension of a long term contract offer. The circumstances are tough (cancer, freak knee injury off a dirty play), but Berry has missed essentially 25% of his career snaps.
Every other team in the league would look to insure themselves against a relapse, or let alone be wary of player who has likely peaked and doesn't have the positional value to merit breaking the bank and blindly giving him top money at the position.

Love the player and his intagibles. I do not like paying him the top safety contract in the league over the long term without some protections given the accrued track record. Not his fault, but everybody's reality.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

He was paid the market value for his draft selection at the time. He has lived up to that contract when healthy. He had his ACL torn by a dirty play and he had cancer. Both of those issues were beyond his control.

Berry is one of the best safeties in football. Is he THE best? That is hard to judge because they are all asked to do different things. IMO, Berry is asked to do more than any safety in the league. At times he's asked to play in the box and act like an extra linebacker, at other times he's been asked to play man to man coverage on elite tight ends, and at other times he's been asked to play deep centerfield as a one high safety. He's the Swiss Army knife of safeties and more versatile than any of the other elite safeties in the league.

Oh.

I guess I missed the cap credits we got for those times that Berry couldn't take the field due to circumstances beyond his control.

Whether or not he is presently the best is not the question - he was paid as the best for 6 straight seasons. Over that 6 year span, he has most assuredly not provided more value to the Chiefs than every other safety in football has provided to theirs.

He's been overpaid. No, he can't control where he was drafted or what the salary slot said he'd be paid. No, he can't control getting cancer.

No, he hasn't earned $60 million as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs when compared to the market for safeties over that time period.

You can make excuses for him all day if you'd like, but if anyone's letting emotion cloud their judgment, it's you.

[mcaj22]

paying 10/11/12 per for Berry's 28, 29, 30, 31, etc year old seasons just screams Jarius Bryd part 2 type contract.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

paying 10/11/12 per for Berry's 28, 29, 30, 31, etc year old seasons just screams Jarius Bryd part 2 type contract.

Even more so in Berry's case because unfortunately, his cancer could return at any time in the next five years.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by BigMeatballBillay

Abdullah wasn't good last year. Sucks we lost Branch.

Branch is the guy i wanted to keep

Just because he could go man on Edelman doesn't mean he sucks. That idiot Sutton should have never expected him to do that.

Branch had a nose for the ball and was a solid safety.

Abullah wasn't anything special

[O.city]

In the end, someone has to walk. Can't keep everyone.

Now they need to get poe and or Fisher locked up during the seaaon. I'm not super excited about extending poe. Back problems on dudes that size tend to become and issue.

[staylor26]

Raiders just signed Amerson to a 4 year $38mil extension. M

They won't be signing high priced FA's again anytime soon.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Even more so in Berry's case because unfortunately, his cancer could return at any time in the next five years.

Yep, that absolutely must be taken into consideration. IMO, the Chiefs did the "right" thing, as far as paying him goes, when he was being treated for cancer. Now, Berry owes them nothing for their choice to do so and is out to get all he can, which us fine. The Chiefs also must take into consideration the "business" side of things.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by O.city

In the end, someone has to walk. Can't keep everyone.

Now they need to get poe and or Fisher locked up during the seaaon. I'm not super excited about extending poe. Back problems on dudes that size tend to become and issue.

Poe has also seemed to level off in his improvement.

could have something to do with Sutton refusing to limit Poe's snaps though

[TEX]

Originally Posted by staylor26

Raiders just signed Amerson to a 4 year $38mil extension. M

They won't be signing high priced FA's again anytime soon.

They won't need to. They've made a big splash this off season and IMO are the most improved team in the West. So glad they have a reerun for a HC.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by ChiefGator

who is felicia?

Can't believe I have to

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

Poe has also seemed to level off in his improvement.

could have something to do with Sutton refusing to limit Poe's snaps though

Last year, recovering from a back injury maybe. He was pretty dominant in 2014 and 13.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Chief Northman

And all the more reason for the Chiefs to seek protection in the extension of a long term contract offer. The circumstances are tough (cancer, freak knee injury off a dirty play), but Berry has missed essentially 25% of his career snaps.
Every other team in the league would look to insure themselves against a relapse, or let alone be wary of player who has likely peaked and doesn't have the positional value to merit breaking the bank and blindly giving him top money at the position.

Love the player and his intagibles. I do not like paying him the top safety contract in the league over the long term without some protections given the accrued track record. Not his fault, but everybody's reality.

Exactly this.

[OctoberFart]

He doesn't want to play in KC.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by TEX

They won't need to. They've made a big splash this off season and IMO are the most improved team in the West. So glad they have a reerun for a HC.

They spent a lot of money of guys that are all 29+. They will certainly need it.

They might improve this year, but can you imagine how tight things are going to get when Carr and Mack are FA's? Oh yea, that happens in the same offseason.