Eric Berry did not get his long-term deal but the Kansas City Chiefs still control his rights via the franchise tag which will pay Berry $10.8 million in 2016. The problem? Berry hasn’t signed that franchise tag so technically he’s not under contract at the moment. That means that Berry can skip training camp or the preseason without any financial consequence.
We’ve seen this before where someone is holding out under the unsigned franchise tag. Go back a few years ago when Dwayne Bowe was in a similar situation. He ended up signing his franchise tender in mid-August after the St. Joe portion of the Chiefs training camp had concluded. ,
If I’m in Berry’s shoes, I’m doing something similar. Don’t sign that tag until after the Chiefs return from St. Joe so you can sleep in your own bed. Get in a couple of preseason games to knock that rust off and then the season is here.
Now what will Berry actually do? I don’t know that but I would be surprised if he were here for training camp and I would also be surprised if this lasted until the regular season. So put me down for mid to late August.