Chiefs place franchise tag on All-Pro safety Eric Berry

We have placed the franchise tag on Eric Berry.

With the non-exclusive franchise designation, other teams can negotiate with Berry, but the Chiefs can match any offer.

It’s official: The Kansas City Chiefs say they have used the franchise tag to retain the services of safety Eric Berry. This time, it was safety Eric Berry.

Berry, 27, was the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2015 and named first team All-Pro after returning from Hodgkin’s lymphoma fully healthy.

This is the fifth time in six years the Chiefs have turned to the tag to keep a star player. He put up 61 tackles and intercepted two passes.

“I think he wants to be here and we probably want him to be here and all that”. Instead, the Chiefs made sure their top pick (No. 5 overall) in the 2010 National Football League draft didn’t escape to a different team. Thats a heavy price, one that a team hasnt been willing to pay in many years.

If Berry is franchise tagged, the two sides would have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract, though Berry does not have to sign the one-year franchise tender immediately.

September 25, 2015; Kansas City, MO: Chiefs safety Eric Berry during pregame introductions against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. By holding off, he could skip the Chiefs offseason program when it begins in April, organized team activities and even the preseason, return shortly before the regular season, and still command his full salary.

In the case of Berry, the Chiefs took another step Tuesday toward making that happen.

Other key pieces from last year’s playoff team poised to hit free agency include linebackers Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson, two of the team’s longest-tenured players, along with quarterback Chase Daniel, offensive lineman Jeff Allen, safety Husain Abdullah and defensive tackle Mike DeVito.