Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs held mandatory minicamp this week, but left tackle Orlando Brown was not present.
Kansas City placed the franchise tag on Brown earlier this offseason, but because he has yet to sign his tender, the three-time Pro Bowler is excused from minicamp.
Brown and the Chiefs are in the process of working out a long-term contract extension, and Reid said Thursday that he remains confident that one will get done.
“I’m not doing a whole lot of conversing with him, but [G.M.] Brett [Veach] and his crew are,” Reid said, via Pro Football Talk. “And so as long as they’re talking — these things don’t ever happen overnight. That’s not how it works. So they’ll work through it. And I know both sides will handle it the right way and come to a spot that’s good for both Orlando and the team.”
The Chiefs acquired Brown from the Baltimore Ravens prior to last season, and he made 16 regular season starts while earning his third-straight Pro Bowl selection.
The 26-year-old former third-round pick made it clear recently that he expects to be playing in Kansas City for a while.
“Very confident. Very confident,” Brown said earlier this month on NFL Total Access when asked about his contract negotiations. “Especially simply based off the things that have come into effect within our division, the type of defensive ends that have been brought in, the type of players and all of that type of stuff. It’s not the year to go into the season with a backup left tackle. So, I’m very confident that the Kansas City Chiefs will get that done.”
The deadline for Brown and the Chiefs to agree to a contract extension is July 15.
That’s one still month away, and right now, there’s no reason to believe they can’t work something out by that point.