Kansas City Chiefs place franchise tag on All-Pro safety Eric Berry
Tuesday 1 March 2016 21:23, UK
The Kansas City Chiefs have placed the franchise tag on All-Pro safety Eric Berry, who overcame cancer to return to the field in 2015.
The 27-year-old Berry will make $10.806m under the franchise tag. It's the fourth time in five years that Kansas City has designated a franchise player.
The Chiefs have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract with Berry. Otherwise, he would play for the tag salary. He cannot talk to other clubs.
"Our goal is to keep Eric in Kansas City for the foreseeable future," Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey said.
"He's a special player that means a lot to our organization, the city, and has been a critical piece in building our foundation. With today being the deadline to use the franchise tag, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to place the tag on Eric."
Berry was diagnosed with lymphoma in late 2014 and immediately began treatment. He was deemed cancer-free last summer, reported to training camp on time, and proceeded to have arguably the best season of his six-year career.
He made 55 tackles and two interceptions while playing in every game. His performance earned Berry the AP's Comeback Player of the Year award.
