The Chiefs used the franchise tag to hold onto safety Eric Berry for the 2016 season, which means that Berry is again headed toward possible free agency this offseason.
That can change if he and the team can agree on a long-term deal, something Berry said he’d like to see happen and is already under discussion.
“I hope so,” Berry said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “I think my agent had a conversation yesterday or something. It’s early.”
The Chiefs could use a second franchise tag on Berry to keep him off the market and extend the time to talk about a longer deal. That would cost them just under $13 million, but could be problematic on another front.
Defensive tackle Dontari Poe is also set to be a free agent, so tagging Berry would mean they’d have to come to a long-term agreement with Poe to ensure he doesn’t hit the open market. The Chiefs are also projected to have under $5 million in cap space, which is something they can work around through other moves -- dropping Nick Foles and Jamaal Charles would give them nearly $17 million more in cap space -- but it’s clear Kansas City has some decisions to make with a pair of defensive stalwarts out of contract.
