KC Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown is not at OTAs, but he and team have stayed in touch

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Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. is out of sight, but he’s not out of mind.

Brown, who has yet to sign his franchise tender, wasn’t on the field Thursday during the first week of the Chiefs’ organized team activities (OTAs).

The Chiefs, though, have the communications line open with their starting left tackle.

“I know he’s working out down in Florida, so he is getting in his workouts,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he, too, has been in touch with the primary player responsible for protecting his blind side.

“I talk to him at least once a week,” Mahomes said of Brown. “I mean, he’s a guy who loves football. There’s no doubt about that.”

There probably won’t be too much argument that Brown has done his part to earn a lucrative pay raise. Since entering the NFL in 2018 as a third-round pick with the Baltimore Ravens, Brown has earned three Pro Bowl selections, including one last season with the Chiefs.

But a rather large obstacle is likely contributing to the lack of movement toward the Chiefs and Brown agreeing to a deal sooner rather than later: Brown no longer has an agent to help him navigate the business side of football.

“He’s still working to get an agent,” Reid said. “That’s what he’s doing; he’s interviewing these different people. So once he gets that taken care of, we’ll be able to roll.”

In the meantime, the 26-year-old Brown isn’t likely to show up for the voluntary portion of OTAs. He also wouldn’t be expected to attend the Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp on June 14-16 because he’s not under contract, which means the Chiefs won’t be able to impose any financial fines upon him.

The key date is July 15, the league-wide deadline for teams to have a long-term deal in place with franchise-tagged players. If the Chiefs don’t have a multiyear contract with Brown, he would play the 2022 regular season under the franchise tag, which pays $16.6 million.

That is, if Brown signs the tender.

“That off-the-field stuff, that happens in every organization, every team, but I know he wants to be here,” Mahomes said. “He wants to be a Kansas City Chief and he wants to be on that football field more than anybody.”