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.”

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It's the discussion over whether or not they should've cut his pay on the NFI.

When a player is put on the NFI, their salary can be reduced to the league minimum and it doesn't count against the cap. The Chiefs could've done that with Berry but they didn't. They paid him his full salary for the duration of his time on the NFI.

Now admittedly, I'm going from memory on his salary that year and how many games he missed so it may be high. It's probably nearer $4-5 million.

Right.

Berry was one of the last 1st rounders selected under the old CBA that paid rooks handsomely, was kept on the full salary as you've pointed out even though there was no obligation to do so...

Any claims made that he's been underpaid are a little bit hollow -especially since he's earned top safety money for being a run support guy first rather than an Ed Reed pass coverage type of monster.

I'm all for players getting every single penny they can from teams' -that's 100% acceptable due to the nature of the game they're playing that's the riskiest in all of Western sports.

But too many idiot GMs have ****ed up the market by handing out ludicrous deals...

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

Hey, look, a very rational and pragmatic statement from one of the main parties involved in this negotiation. This is probably why he is the general manager of a NFL franchise and the rest of us our spouting our opinions on a message board.

Hey look....coachspeak.

What the hell did you expect him to say? And exactly why do you put any weight in what is little more than a form letter?

[mcaj22]

that window after the season is over is like 2 months, then you have to assign a franchise tag and in March it's free agent madness.

He will be dealing with Fisher, Poe and Berry in that window unless Dorsey can get Fisher or Poe to an extension during the season.

Best of luck to Dorsey, he's got his work cut out for him in early 2017.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

that window after the season is over is like 2 months, then you have to assign a franchise tag and in March it's free agent madness.

He will be dealing with Fisher, Poe and Berry in that window unless Dorsey can get Fisher or Poe to an extension during the season.

Best of luck to Dorsey, he's got his work cut out for him in early 2017.

Guaranteed either Fisher or Poe get an extension before the season ends. Maybe both.

Only Poe and Berry will be FA's though, and the franchise tag will be available again. I doubt Dorsey is sweating it. He's probably salivating thinking about all the picks we'll have.

[mcaj22]

Originally Posted by staylor26

Guaranteed either Fisher or Poe get an extension before the season ends. Maybe both.

Dorsey is in the true Marry/****/Kill scenario but instead it's Extension/Franchise Tag/Let Walk with Poe/Fisher/Berry

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

Dorsey is in the true Marry/****/Kill scenario but instead it's Extension/Franchise Tag/Let Walk with Poe/Fisher/Berry

Fisher isn't a FA. It's not really that difficult of a situation IMO. Berry might've just made it easier.

[DaneMcCloud]

Mo Wilkerson just signed an extension for $17 million per.

He has 36.5 sacks, Poe has 11.

Unless Poe has a monster year in 2016, he'll get $10 million per, tops.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

But too many idiot GMs have ****ed up the market by handing out ludicrous deals...

And Berry would've had Dorsey next in line to do the same.

The Chiefs have paid Eric Berry $60 million over his time here and in that time he's given them 2 great seasons, 1 good season, 1 'meh' season and 2 (mostly) missed seasons.

As has been mentioned, Berry has spent pretty much his entire career being overpaid. Additionally, the Chiefs were extremely generous with him when they had no obligation to be.

And now he certainly appears to still be insisting on being the highest paid safety in football. That does not sit well with me at all.

[ct]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

According to Dorsey they won't pickup negotiations until the next window after the season ends.
http://www.chiefs.com/news/article-2...f?sf31064061=1

Puts the responsibility on EB to sign the FP tender show up and play. We are loaded up for a SB run with Tamba, DJ, and Charles on likely their last yr (or two perhaps). No way they trade him. Pay him and play him and wave goodbye to him if it doesn't work next off season.

[Red Dawg]

What irritates me is the fact that if there was one guy on the team that should have cut us a break it would be him. He got the big rookie deal and nothing but love from the Chiefs who paid him even for an entire season to recover from cancer.

He screwed us anyway. If we keep Fisher and Poe then I guess it's for the best.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by staylor26

Fisher isn't a FA. It's not really that difficult of a situation IMO. Berry might've just made it easier.

It'd be a whole lot easier with an $11 million cap credit next season.

Just sayin'...

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Hey look....coachspeak.

What the hell did you expect him to say? And exactly why do you put any weight in what is little more than a form letter?

He didn't have to say anything. He could have made a simple statement saying they made a competitive offer that wasn't accepted by Berry and his reps.

I swear some of the posters on this board would fail miserably if they ever had to negotiate any type of contract. The emotions displayed by some in this thread are hilarious.

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by Tuckdaddy

What irritates me is the fact that if there was one guy on the team that should have cut us a break it would be him. He got the big rookie deal and nothing but love from the Chiefs who paid him even for an entire season to recover from cancer.

He screwed us anyway. If we keep Fisher and Poe then I guess it's for the best.

Case in point.

[Red Dawg]

Abdullah retiring is now brutal.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It'd be a whole lot easier with an $11 million cap credit next season.

Just sayin'...

True, but that just isn't going to happen.