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

Nah.

Discuss told me that the roster isn't any better than the one he inherited.

The number of people that are vested in being ****ing reeruned on this board is staggering. Dorsey's not an improvement over Pioli. Smith is just Cassel 2.0. Jeremy Maclin isn't better than Dwayne Bowe. The hits just keep ****ing comin' and all from the same 3-5 guys.

They're really smart.

Hence why the strength of the team, the defense, is anchored by Poe, Houston, DJ, Berry, Bailey and Tamba (in no particular order).

You know.. guys that weren't drafted or signed in FA by Dorsey.

The biggest difference is that Reid, while not an elite HC, is infinitely better than Haley, Herm and Crennel. Dorsey is a better GM than Pioli and better than the post-Marty era Carl Peterson.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Hence why the strength of the team, the defense, is anchored by Poe, Houston, DJ, Berry, Bailey and Tamba (in no particular order).

You know.. guys that weren't drafted or signed in FA by Dorsey.

The biggest difference is that Reid, while not an elite HC, is infinitely better than Haley, Herm and Crennel. Dorsey is a better GM than Pioli and better than the post-Marty era Carl Peterson.

Then how the **** did we manage to not get blown out against the Pats in NE without Maclin, Houston, Charles, and a hobbled Hali?

Houston, Charles, Poe, Hali, Berry, DJ, Bailey...They've all missed significant time since this regime has been here, yet we've still managed to have 3 consecutive winning seasons.

All of this with Alex Smith at QB. How the **** do you explain that?

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by staylor26

Then how the **** did we manage to not get blown out against the Pats in NE without Maclin, Houston, Charles, and a hobbled Hali?

Houston, Charles, Poe, Hali, Berry, DJ....They've all missed significant time since this regime has been here, yet we've still managed to have 3 consecutive winning seasons.

All of this with Alex Smith at QB. How the **** do you explain that?

Well he cited Bailey as an anchor of the defense while also citing Hali and DJ who both pre-dated Pioli, so that gives you a little insight into things.

He's mostly just doubling down on stupid at this point.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Well he cited Bailey as an anchor of the defense while also citing Hali and DJ who both pre-dated Pioli, so that gives you a little insight into things.

He's mostly just doubling down on stupid at this point.

Not to mention Maclin and Peters were the MVP's of the offense and defense last year.

[RunKC]

Houston, Charles, Bailey, Poe, Tamba, DJ and Berry were the best core group of players left to Dorsey and all have either missed significant time or had bad health problems affecting their play.

3 winning seasons in a row. No Houston or Charles last year? 11 straight wins.

DJ is definitely right here..

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Houston, Charles, Bailey, Poe, Tamba, DJ and Berry were the best core group of players left to Dorsey and all have either missed significant time or had bad health problems affecting their play.

3 winning seasons in a row. No Houston or Charles last year? 11 straight wins.

DJ is definitely right here..

And with DJ and Hali throughout his tenure, Pioli's teams did jack shit. With the additions of Houston, Poe, Berry and [chuckle] Bailey, Pioli's teams still did jack shit.

It's just such a ridiculous argument. It requires that you simply have slept through the Pioli era, when everyone recognized that the problem with this team wasn't it's stars. We were going out there with 8 Pro Bowlers and losing 10 games. Everyone knew it was a complete lack of roster depth and an inability to assemble a complete team that was killing the team.

It requires that you ignore the fact that Dorsey learned under Wolf, the same Ron Wolf who's always preached about horizontal roster building and creating depth and competition everywhere.

There's simply no question that this team and this roster has gotten better every single season under Dorsey. Immensely better, in fact.

Dorsey's a very good GM. Top 5? Eh, maybe, maybe not; there's a lot of luck there. But if you simply lump them as 'good', 'solid' and 'bad', there's no question that Dorsey's in the top 1/3 there; he's a good GM.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And with DJ and Hali throughout his tenure, Pioli's teams did jack shit. With the additions of Houston, Poe, Berry and [chuckle] Bailey, Pioli's teams still did jack shit.

It's just such a ridiculous argument. It requires that you simply have slept through the Pioli era, when everyone recognized that the problem with this team wasn't it's stars. We were going out there with 8 Pro Bowlers and losing 10 games. Everyone knew it was a complete lack of roster depth and an inability to assemble a complete team that was killing the team.

It requires that you ignore the fact that Dorsey learned under Wolf, the same Ron Wolf who's always preached about horizontal roster building and creating depth and competition everywhere.

There's simply no question that this team and this roster has gotten better every single season under Dorsey. Immensely better, in fact.

Dorsey's a very good GM. Top 5? Eh, maybe, maybe not; there's a lot of luck there. But if you simply lump them as 'good', 'solid' and 'bad', there's no question that Dorsey's in the top 1/3 there; he's a good GM.

Great point about Dorsey coming from the Wolf tree. The proof of the job he's done building this roster horizontally was in the preseason last year. We are clearly the deepest I've ever seen a Chiefs team. When was the last time our 2nd and 3rd string looked that good in the preseason?

[RunKC]

Interesting chart here

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Interesting chart here

VERY interesting.


It's just a square

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Interesting chart here

Doing a bit of house hunting?

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Interesting chart here

Nice trailer in the backyard.

[Quesadilla Joe]

Eric Berry may skip all of training camp, preseason

With the Chiefs not signing safety Eric Berry to a long-term deal before July 15, the franchise-tagged player remains without a contract. Under the terms of the tender, he can show up just a few days before the start of the regular season and still get the full amount of his $10.8 million salary.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Berry may do just that, skipping most if not all of training camp and the preseason, losing no money to fines but still getting the full $10.8 million salary.

The sole risk comes from the team’s ability to rescind the tag — something Chiefs coach Andy Reid did not once but twice during his time with the Eagles. Doing so would make Berry a free agent, and he would be hard pressed to get a deal on the open market that averages $10.8 million per year.

Under prior Collective Bargaining Agreements, the franchise tag for a given position was driven by the average of the five highest cap numbers in the prior year. Under the 2011 CBA, the tag is determined by the five-year average percentage of the overall cap that the franchise tag has consumed. With the growth of the cap outpacing in recent years the growth of the market at most positions, some franchise-tagged players — like Berry — instantly become the highest paid player at his position, albeit for only one year.

If the Chiefs would remove the tender, would another team pay Berry $10.8 million for 2016, or a multi-year deal averaging that much? Probably not.

It would be an unpopular move, to be sure. Berry has become a national inspiration given his recovery from cancer and his performance last season. But with Berry due to make more than any other safety and with the prospect of Berry showing up not fully prepared for Week One while still making $10.8 million, the Chiefs have to at least consider doing what Reid previously did with linebacker Jeremiah Trotter and defensive tackle Corey Simon.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...amp-preseason/

[Hammock Parties]

eric berry, justin houston and jamaal charles all in question to start the season



great year ahead, boyos!

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Smellway

eric berry, justin houston and jamaal charles all in question to start the season



great year ahead, boyos!

You'll be banned in no time...

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

You'll be banned in no time...

He mostly hangs out in DC trying to inflate Trump balloons through the urethra.