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.”

[dodgy]

Sign em both

[Nickhead]

can we dingle berry as trade bait if we franchise him. and then eventually sign him depending. doesn't that get two first round picks if he leaves? im not worried about berry and his cancer short term. (i hope he's allowed and has used cannibus oil )

i wouldn't even franchise poe, unless they know something we don't about his health issues. i pinched a nerve when i was 20, i am 42 now and it still flares up. sciatica i think it is. just haven't gone to the doc

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

Berry is going to bend Dorsey over and grind it dry until there is blood all over the contract he just signed making him the highest paid secondary guy in the NFL.

As he damned well should. Don't tell a man to "prove it", then cry like a bitch when he proves it 100 times over.
Some players are worth extensions and money, some aren't. It's not Berry's fault that they have chosen to pay and extend two of Reid's pitiful pet projects in Fisher and Smith.
Yeah, there's two "offensive powerhouses" for ya'. Fisher has at least become "serviceable", so Andy has that going for him.
What a joke.

[TigeRRUppeRRcut]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

Berry is going to bend Dorsey over and grind it dry until there is blood all over the contract he just signed making him the highest paid secondary guy in the NFL.

It's looking more like it by the day. I think Poe is the casualty this offseason.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

Always hear this same shit until i'm right then the dbags disappear pretending like nothing was ever said.

Everyone is still waiting for this to happen.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Everyone is still waiting for this to happen.

Sign him - tag Poe - move on...

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

Berry is going to bend Dorsey over and grind it dry until there is blood all over the contract he just signed making him the highest paid secondary guy in the NFL.

Such a drama queen.

Say the Chiefs tell him to try his luck elsewhere. How do you think the rest of the team responds to seeing the team letting its heart and soul on defense walk out the door, knowing all he went through to come back and reach a true All-Pro level? How do you think other free agents across the league would then perceive the Chiefs as a possible destination, knowing how they did Berry when it came time to reward him for all his work?

[Rausch]

KC loses if this deal doesn't get done.

The team has 0 leverage here...

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Such a drama queen.

Say the Chiefs tell him to try his luck elsewhere. How do you think the rest of the team responds to seeing the team letting its heart and soul on defense walk out the door, knowing all he went through to come back and reach a true All-Pro level? How do you think other free agents across the league would then perceive the Chiefs as a possible destination, knowing how they did Berry when it came time to reward him for all his work?

This type of $3it is exactly what Reid avoids...

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by Rausch

Sign him - tag Poe - move on...

Berry is going to get a deal in KC around $12MM per avg, which is probably a bit too much but he is a key part of the team.

Poe? I don't care if he stays or not, he appears to be fairly average for his position to me.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Berry is going to get a deal in KC around $12MM per avg, which is probably a bit too much but he is a key part of the team.

I'm ok with giving Berry at top 3 salary.

He's earned it.

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Poe? I don't care if he stays or not, he appears to be fairly average for his position to me.

We all know he's got FREAKISH talent but he's also got back problems, and those are huge problems in all lineman not named ROAF...

[RunKC]

If Poe hits the market, I would imagine Chris Ballard would sign him.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Rausch

I'm ok with giving Berry at top 3 salary.

He's earned it.

Top 3 of what?

If Berry wanted top-3 safety money, I think he would have already received it. (Unless the Chiefs just wanted to wait a year because of his cancer)

It's 10-12 million per

I think the reason Berry hasn't signed yet is because he wants top-3 secondary money.

14-15 million per

[TigeRRUppeRRcut]

Originally Posted by RunKC

If Poe hits the market, I would imagine Chris Ballard would sign him.

Good. We'll get a 3rd round comp pick in 2018.

[kccrow]

I've did some thinking about Eric Berry. I just don't think Eric Berry is good enough to be afforded the top contract at the position. I also don't think Mathieu deserved such a hefty contract, and his borders on ridiculous, but he also plays alot of nickle corner for the Cards.

I do however, realize that you have to pay the man and he is one of the better safeties in the game. He's fully within the top 20 in the game against the pass, and top 10 when you look at his overall game versus the run and the pass. I want to say he was tied for 8th in pass breakups by a safety this year and tied for 31st in tackles.

But the point remains, Eric Berry is not the best safety in the game. Do you pay him as such? That's a difficult pill to swallow. His game most closely resembles Devin McCourty, and New England paid him pretty well. If you extrapolate McCourty's values over two years of 8% cap inflation, you come up with about 55.4 million w/ 25.7 guaranteed. If you do the same with Harrison Smith's contract over 1 year of 8% cap inflation, you come up with 55.4 million w/16.5 guaranteed.

So, if I had to expect what the market should dictate regarding Berry, it's $55.4 m and somewhere around 21 m guaranteed. Those numbers are a bit worrisome anyhow, with Berry turning 28 and approaching the twilight years. I think, if I'm John Dorsey, I have a number in mind where I think I can replace a good portion of what Berry does for a significantly lower number. The only thing I can't replace is the leadership, but when leaders leave others step up. I think 55/21 would be my absolute limit. I'm not approaching 12, 13, 14 million per.

After much reflection, I'm not of the opinion that Berry is a HOF player nor should he be the highest paid safety in the league.

I'm no NFL GM, but like NFL GMs, I also realize this is a business. Signing Berry to a lucrative contract is bad business. I think 55/21 as a target number is already conceding a bit on the guy.

I guess we'll see what transpires.