Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown is reporting for duty as Kansas City prepares for its first padded practices of training camp.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported that Brown would report to Chiefs camp Monday and play under the franchise tag, per a source informed of the plan.
ESPN first reported the news.
Brown had held out of the start of training camp after the sides couldn't agree on a long-term contract by the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players. By not signing the franchise tender, the left tackle wasn't subject to fines at the start of training camp.
He'll make $16.662 million on the one-year franchise tender.
The Chiefs brass has been adamant they want Brown in town for the long-term, and that didn't change with his brief holdout.
"The agency has advisors around him, and we respect his decision," GM Brett Veach recently told the Kansas City Star. "And it's not going to limit our pursuit of him next year. We're gonna continue to try to get him locked up."
Sides can't negotiate a new long-term deal until the season ends. At that point, the Chiefs could use the franchise tag again -- at a 120 percent price increase -- if it can't come to terms on a multi-year solution or let the offensive tackle hit free agency.
While much was made of Brown's absence early in camp, the reality is he missed just four days of non-padded sessions. With the Chiefs set to put on the equipment beginning today, Brown determined he should be there as the blindside protector for Patrick Mahomes as the real practices ramp up.
"He wanted to be there for padded practice because that's when leaders are developed," Brown's agent Michael Portner told Pelissero.
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