Possible Eric Berry Landing Spots If He Leaves In 2017

His story is one of the most inspirational in NFL history, but business is business in the NFL and it looks like Eric Berry is staring down that cold reality.

The Pro Bowl safety had another great season after a triumphant return from battling cancer. One would think the Kansas City Chiefs would be eager to lock him up long-term as a key part of their secondary, but signs continue to grow that this may not be the case. Despite using the franchise tag to ensure he stays put for 2016, Rand Getlin of NFL Network indicates the two sides are far apart on a long-term deal and it’s unlikely to get done before the July 15^th deadline.

Absent a significant shift in the next two days, I’m told the #Chiefs and Eric Berry are unlikely to come to terms on a long-term deal.
— Rand Getlin (@RandGetlin) July 13, 2016

This is an unfortunate turn of events for Berry himself, who has expressed his desire to stay on multiple occasions. At the same time, there are factors working against him. Chances are he’ll have to be the highest paid safety in the game and the Chiefs salary cap situation is less than ideal to accommodate such a demand. There is also the reality that the risk of his cancer returning is very real, depressing as it sounds. Not to mention the fact that the defense played extremely well without him in 2014.

Management and the coaches may be planning to get one more great season out of him before cutting ties in order to save money. If no deal is signed by the deadline, the odds of that happening certainly go up. It would certainly make for an interesting situation come time for 2017 free agency.

Which teams could be considered plausible landing spots for him?

Chicago Bears

GM Ryan Pace has built a reputation for being quite cautious with his money during free agency, but he is also a big fan of the safety position, knowing how hard it can be to find good ones. The Chicago Bears will have the cap space and more to handle a contract for Berry and their defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is notorious for being creative with the position. They run a 3-4 system like the Chiefs do, so it wouldn’t be that big of a transition for him.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ever since Troy Polamalu left, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had few answers at the safety position. They’ve gotten by with a mix of decent role players but little else. With a quality front seven, they need somebody on the back end who can make things happen. Though they aren’t known for spending much in free agency, they’ll do it for the right players and Berry could be the answer they’ve been searching for.

Oakland Raiders

Something to always keep in mind about free agency is that players have a tendency to prefer staying within their own division because of familiarity (and a desire for sticking to the team that didn’t want to keep them). It would be so fitting if Berry chose to sign with the Oakland Raiders, a long-time Chiefs rival, and pair him with their young talent Karl Joseph. That could make for one of the most formidable young defensive units in football.

Atlanta Falcons

Then there is always the home factor. Berry was born in Fairburn, Georgia and went to high school there. It might be in his heart to make family and friends proud by returning to his native state to join the Atlanta Falcons. Their head coach Dan Quinn is a huge believer in the use of safeties and would practically scramble at the chance to team Berry with their own 1^st round pick in Keanu Neal.

Home/NFL Hot Takes