AFC West Notes: Brown, Chargers, Raiders

Orlando Brown Jr. will command either a second franchise tag, another lucrative Chiefs extension offer or a massive free agency accord. The four-time Pro Bowler wants to stay in Kansas City, but it certainly does not sound like any hometown discount will be considered.

“Yeah, absolutely, I want to stay here, but the business is the business,” Brown said, via Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams. “Things happen. Whatever happens, man, I’ll be prepared to go.”

This stance is unsurprising, given how the franchise-tagged tackle played his 2022 negotiations. Despite acquiring Brown via trade in 2021, the Chiefs tabled extension talks until last year. Brown changed agents, hiring a representative without a football background, and said Kansas City’s offer was too light on guarantees for him to sign. The Chiefs offered Brown a six-year, $139MM deal that contained the second-most guarantees among tackles, and although a bloated final-year salary existed to increase the AAV to top Trent Williams‘ $23MM mark, Brown passed. This rankled some in the organization. Pro Football Focus viewed the mammoth left tackle as making slight improvements in 2022, slotting him as a top-20 player at the position. Barring a major injury in Super Bowl LVII, Brown will be in strong negotiating position again soon.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

• Justin Herbert will be taking some time off ahead of the Chargers‘ offseason program. The star quarterback underwent surgery to address a shoulder labrum injury, according to the team. Herbert underwent the procedure on his nonthrowing shoulder, which became an issue late in the season. The Chargers expect their QB to be ready in time for their offseason program, which will be a bit more important for Herbert and Co. due to the team having changed offensive coordinators.
• On the OC topic, the Chargers will entrust Herbert’s fourth season to Kellen Moore. The 33-year-old play-caller made a quick move from Dallas to L.A., being informed he was not returning for a fifth season as the Cowboys’ OC to landing the Bolts job within a day. Prior to the Chargers moving quickly on Moore, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes they were leaning toward hiring Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson (Twitter link). Multiple coordinator-seeking teams believed Robinson, a former Brandon Staley coworker, would land the gig. Robinson has interviewed for the Ravens’ OC position, but as of now, the young assistant is set to return to the Rams.
• Kyzir White departed the Chargers after a productive contract year, one that led the linebacker to the Eagles. Set to start in Super Bowl LVII, White is still auditioning for a long-term payday. The Eagles gave the converted safety a one-year, $3MM deal. Despite White tallying a career-high 144 tackles and starting 17 games for the 2021 Chargers, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper notes Staley’s system not placing a high value on off-ball ‘backers led the Bolts to let him walk (subscription required). This could be relevant intel for the Bolts’ Kenneth Murray plan. The team chose Murray in the first round before Staley’s arrival; his fifth-year option will cost $12.72MM.
• The Bolts should be expected to consider re-signing right tackle Trey Pipkins, per Popper. Winning the right-side job in training camp after making offseason improvements, Pipkins suffered an MCL sprain and aggravated the injury twice upon returning. The free agent-to-be still started 14 games. Pro Football Focus ranked Pipkins 67th among tackles, though Popper notes the Chargers will likely hold the former third-round pick in higher regard compared to the rest of the league. It will be interesting to see what Pipkins’ market produces, as starter-caliber tackles generally do well in free agency.
• Adam Butler secured a pretty nice reserve/futures deal with the Raiders. The veteran defensive tackle’s one-year pact includes $485.8K guaranteed, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, adding the contract can spike to $2MM. A former Patriots regular, Butler did not play in 2022 after being cut by the Dolphins during training camp.