Follow Kansas City Chiefs’ free-agency updates: Orlando Brown Jr. finds new home
It’s time to make things official.
Starting at 3 p.m. Central on Wednesday — the opening of the NFL’s new calendar year — unrestricted free agents are permitted to sign contracts with new teams, meaning there will be no turning back from some previously reported moves.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ biggest expected signing — at this point — will be the addition of former Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Jawaan Taylor. On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the two sides have agreed on a four-year, $80 million contract, with $60 million of that guaranteed.
Though Taylor has primarily played right tackle in his NFL career — 4,282 snaps at that position, compared to 18 at left tackle — The Star’s Sam McDowell reported this week that the Chiefs believe Taylor is athletic enough to make the switch to the left side.
KC also agreed late Tuesday to a two-year deal with 49ers defensive lineman Charles Omenihu, The Star confirmed. NFL Network first reported the news.
Omenihu, 25, was ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 35th-best free agent this offseason. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound defensive lineman had 4.5 sacks last year and can shift inside if needed.
Tershawn Wharton should also confirm his return to the club Wednesday, with Aaron Wilson reporting a one-year, $2.05 million deal with additional incentives.
Sources confirm that the Chiefs handled in-house affairs by extending a qualifying tender to tight end Jody Fortson as an exclusive-rights free agent and applying a right-of-first-refusal tender on punter Tommy Townsend as a restricted free agent.
NFL free agency unofficially started Monday during the league’s open-negotiation window. The two-day “legal tampering” period means teams around the league were allowed to contact and enter negotiations with agents of pending unrestricted free agents.
The Chiefs’ losses during that two-day span were right tackle Andrew Wylie, who agreed to a three-year deal with Washington, and fullback Michael Burton, who leaves for a one-year deal with Denver.
Follow along here for updates on signings and departures as they happen:
• Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. agreed to terms with the Cincinnati Bengals late Wednesday night, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to The Star. Brown’s deal, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, is a four-year, $64.092 million pact; it also includes a $31 million signing bonus, the largest ever for an offensive lineman. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that 67.87% of Brown’s $64.092 million is fully guaranteed, including $42.3 million through the second year and $49.9 million through Year 3.
• Safety Juan Thornhill agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth up to $21 million with the Cleveland Browns, a source familiar with the situation confirmed with The Star. The Chiefs are likely to turn to Bryan Cook to fill Thornhill’s previous starting spot alongside safety Justin Reid.
• The Chiefs did not extend a qualifying tender to linebacker Darius Harris as a restricted free agent, Harris, who appeared in all 17 regular-season games in 2022 with four starts, is now free to sign with any team.
• Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster agreed to a three-year contract with the New England Patriots. Smith-Schuster, who took to social media to confirm reports of his departure, was the Chiefs’ second-leading pass catcher in 2022 — his lone season in KC — totaling 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns.
• Backup defensive tackle Khalen Saunders agreed to terms on a three-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, the NFL Network reported. Saunders had a vital rotational role in 2022, reaching career-highs in tackles (48), sacks (3.5), QB hits (8) and defensive snaps (421). He joined the Chiefs in 2019 out of Western Illinois as a third-round pick, totaling 38 career games with five starts.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Follow Kansas City Chiefs’ free-agency updates: Orlando Brown Jr. finds new home."
