Tag: Orlando Brown

Bengals outbid Steelers and Jets to sign Orlando Brown Jr.

The Bengals swiped one of the best tackles in football by leaving their comfort zone.

The Cincinnati Bengals had some serious competition for Orlando Brown before inking him to a massive, out-of-character deal.

And they did it to shove aside other contenders for Brown.

According to ESPN’s Jeremey Fowler, the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets were in on Brown, only for the Bengals to “put deal over the top with strong guarantees over long term.”

That’s a stunning comment for Bengals fans, who now see a front office that just outbid two other teams for a 26-year-old left tackle by giving out more guaranteed cash to him than they did all three offensive line signings last year — while front-loading the deal to avoid hurting things like Joe Burrow’s extension.

And yes, Brown will take over at left tackle.

It’s a dramatic change for the Bengals and it didn’t just hurt the Steelers and Jets in the AFC — they also grabbed him from the Chiefs, their biggest threat in the conference.

If there was any doubt the Bengals have changed, Wednesday night wiped it out.

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Bengals: Quick thoughts on Orlando Brown, Jonah Williams and more

Jonah Williams? Cutting players? Thoughts on the fallout from the major signing.

The fallout of the Cincinnati Bengals making a splash with Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency is massive in scope.

We are, after all, talking about a team that needs to have hundreds of millions of dollars ready to re-sign its big three of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

And yet, on Wednesday night, that didn’t stop the Bengals from swiping one of the biggest names in free agency and one of the best offensive tackles in football to protect Burrow.

Now the fallout focuses on who plays where on the line, who even stays with the team and what it means for a franchise that has grown up into a heavyweight in a matter of years — and carries itself as such.

Jets were in on Orlando Brown before signing with Bengals

Jets were eyeing Orlando Brown

The Jets certainly were swinging for the fences in trying to improve their offensive line. According to agent Michael Portner via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, New York was in on free-agent offensive tackle Orlando Brown before he ultimately signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Details of the Jets’ offer to Brown, if there was one, were unknown but Fowler reports the key for the Bengals was the guaranteed money they offered, which was about $44 million of the $64 million and change for the total contract.

At least we know the Jets are looking hard at the offensive tackle position. Brown was arguably the best free agent offensive tackle on the board and one of the best free agents overall. This should only further add fuel to the fire that the team will be looking at the position in the draft, particularly with the 13th overall pick.

Best reactions after Bengals stun fans with Orlando Brown Jr. signing

Reactions to the Bengals doing a mega-deal with one of the best OTs in football.

The Cincinnati Bengals fanbase has potentially never seen a swing like the one on Wednesday night when the team stepped up and signed offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency.

After a quiet two days of free agency with so many losses the team maxed out its possible compensatory picks allotment, the Bengals left their comfort zone in a mega way to sign one of the best offensive tackles in the league.

Brown, who will play left tackle for the Bengals, is that dream free-agent signing Bengals fans have sought for years and it comes at a critical time as the team hopes to keep Joe Burrow healthy and contending for Super Bowls.

So yes, Bengals fans — and players — received a jolt on Wednesday night.

Bengals sign OT Orlando Brown Jr. to a four-year, $64.092 million deal. Grade: A

The Bengals have signed Orlando Brown Jr. to protect Joe Burrow’s blind side, and the improvement should be obvious.

For the second time in four years, offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. is going to an AFC Super Bowl contender with a great need to rebuild its offensive line. Brown, who played left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021 and 2022 after a trade from the Baltimore Ravens, has signed a four-year, $64.092 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Brown gets 67.87% of the deal fully guaranteed, with $42.3 million through Tear 2, and $49.9 million through Year 3.

The Bengals, who limped through the 2022 season with Jonah Williams at left tackle (Williams allowed 13 sacks and 45 total pressures in 748 pass-blocking reps), see Brown as a clear improvement, and the metrics do line up in that direction — at least in the sack department. Last season for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs, Brown allowed four sacks, but 58 quarterback pressures, in 893 pass-blocking snaps.

A third-round pick of the Ravens in 2018 out of Oklahoma, Brown overcame one of the worst combine performances ever to become a solid right tackle in Baltimore’s offense through his first two seasons, and he then availed himself well in 2020 as an injury replacement for Ronnie Stanley on the left side. The Chiefs, who were coming off a humiliating 31-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV, scrapped all five of their starting offensive linemen in the offseason, trading their 2021 first-round pick (No. 31 overall), their 2021 third-round pick (No. 94), their 2021 fourth-round pick (No. 136), and a 2022 fifth-round pick to the Ravens in exchange for offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., Baltimore’s 2021 second-round pick (No. 58 overall), and a 2022 sixth-round pick.

Brown was on the last year of his rookie deal in his first year with the Chiefs, and he played the 2022 season on the franchise tag. Negotiations between player and team never really came together, and when the Chiefs signed former Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Jawaan Taylor to a four-year, $80 million deal with $60 million guaranteed on Monday, that put an obvious end to Brown’s time with the champs.

At 6-foot-8 and 345 pounds, Brown isn’t the most purely athletic left tackle in the NFL, and he has a bad habit of getting beaten on the back half of the arc against speed-rushers, but he should be a more estimable blind-side protector for Joe Burrow than Burrow has had to date. The Bengals saw Brown allow a sack to edge-rusher Joseph Osaai in Week 13, but they decided to drop the hammer on this big deal, nonetheless.

In context with the deal Taylor got from the Chiefs, and especially in comparison to the five-year, $87.5 million deal with more than $50 million guaranteed that the Denver Broncos gave to former San Francisco 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey, this is a solid and much-needed move by the Bengals to continue to get their offensive line in order.

Orlando Brown Jr. will play left tackle for Bengals

There’s a new left tackle in Cincinnati.

In a late-night stunner, the Bengals stepped out of their comfort zone and threw major cash at Orlando Brown Jr., the best offensive tackle on the market.

Along the way, the team granted his wish of playing left tackle.

Brown began his career with the Baltimore Ravens as a right tackle and became a full-time left tackle after he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.

“I’m super thankful for the opportunity to carry on my father’s legacy and be a left tackle,” Brown told NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. “It was important to be able to play that position and play for a winning team and a winning quarterback. Who Dey!”

That means Jonah Williams, in the final year of his deal, will bump presumably to either guard or right tackle. The team has a decision to make on right tackle La’el Collins, who might not be ready for Week 1 because of injury. Cutting Collins with a post-June 1 designation would save the Bengals roughly $7 million against the salary cap.

It probably won’t take long for the Bengals to reveal who goes where, but one thing is for certain — one of the best tackles in the game now protects Joe Burrow’s blindside.

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Bengals left comfort zone on Orlando Brown’s huge contract

The Bengals brought out a Brinks truck to protect Joe Burrow.

The Cincinnati Bengals got out of their comfort zone in a massive way when agreeing to sign free agent offensive tackle Orlando Brown.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bengals dished more than $31 million up front in signing bonus cash on a four-year, $64 million deal.

The Bengals never dish out this sort of cash. Put it this way — the Bengals gave out $21 million in guaranteed cash last free agency…to all three offensive line signings combined.

Not only did the Bengals back up the proverbial Brinks truck, it’s a front-loaded deal — meaning it won’t have a big impact on Joe Burrow’s upcoming extension, nor extensions for the likes of Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.

This would explain why the Bengals have been quiet — they were busy breaking out of their old ways to protect their Super Bowl quarterback.

More context, from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:

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Bengals agree to sign OT Orlando Brown Jr. to mega-deal

A stunner for the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals were patient and got their guy.

Wednesday night, the Bengals agreed to sign Orlando Brown Jr., formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, it’s a four-year, $64.092 deal.

Brown, 26, is one of the best offensive tackles in football with experience at both spots on the line. The Bengals need help at right tackle with La’el Collins rehabbing a season-ending injury and a question mark for Week 1 next year, but Brown has been public about his desire to play left tackle.

Either way, the structure is a good one for the Bengals — a front-loaded deal means getting money out of the way before paying up on Joe Burrow’s extension.

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How the Chiefs’ re-signing Orlando Brown could affect the Texans

If the Kansas City Chiefs aren’t able to bring back Orlando Brown, it could affect the Houston Texans and LT Laremy Tunsil.

The NFL is an ecosystem. What happens in another more prosperous city has effects on a franchise that seeks to complete a rebuild.

According to Dan Graziano from ESPN, the Kansas City Chiefs’ negotiations with tackle Orlando Brown are worth watching for Houston Texans fans as they could have implications on what happens to three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

One potential trade target I’m watching is Houston left tackle Laremy Tunsil. The Texans have resisted trading him in recent years, but he has just one year and a nonguaranteed $18.5 million left on his contract and could be a target of the Chiefs if they aren’t able to bring back Orlando Brown Jr.

According to Over The Cap, Tunsil will count $35,210,834 against the Texans’ salary cap in 2023. Whether a cut or trade, pre- or post-June 1, the Texans will owe a little over $16.7 million in dead money and save $18.5 million in salary cap space. Using Over The Cap’s tools, only an extension appears to give the Texans more cap space and keep Tunsil with $13,868,000 savings.

Getting Tunsil off the books would allow for the Texans to possibly transition Kenyon Green into taking over at a tackle spot along with Tytus Howard. The interior of Houston’s offensive line would still be in question as the Texans relied on Scott Quessenberry to played center for 16 games and also had A.J. Cann at right guard.

Draft capital would be a benefit for the Texans, who just lost a fifth-round pick due to punitive measures from the league. However, it won’t approach anywhere near what the Texans gave up to acquire Tunsil in 2019, and it may not approach the haul the Chiefs sent to acquire Brown from the Baltimore Ravens in 2021.

If the Chiefs figure out how to keep Brown, then the Texans will have to determine how to keep Tunsil and how to manage his cap hit.

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Taylor Lewan appears to be eyeing Chiefs as potential destination

Taylor Lewan certainly took notice after the Chiefs didn’t franchise tag Orlando Brown.

The Kansas City Chiefs decided not to place the franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown, which no doubt caught the attention of former Titans left tackle and current free agent, Taylor Lewan.

With no franchise tag, Brown will hit free agency and is expected to make a killing with a new contract. And, chances are the Chiefs won’t be the team giving it to him it.

As a result, Kansas City will likely be in the market for a new left tackle, and it appears Lewan is interested in filling that void. The morning after Brown wasn’t tagged, the former first-round pick tweeted this:

If Lewan doesn’t retire, something he said is on the table, he figures to be on the radar of plenty of teams this offseason, but there will be plenty of hesitation in signing him, also.

That’s because the 31-year-old hasn’t been able to stay on the field in recent years. He’s suffered a pair of torn ACLs since 2020, and in all has played in just 20 of a possible 50 games in that span, making depending on him as a starter a risky proposition.

As for the Titans, who are in the market for a left tackle after cutting Lewan, the Chiefs not franchise tagging Brown is good news, as it gives Tennessee a free-agent option who can be a long-term solution at the position.

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