ESPN: Chiefs Want New JuJu Smith-Schuster Contract; Expected to Tag Orlando Brown

The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly have interest in bringing back multiple key contributors from their Super Bowl championship roster.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the AFC West team wants to re-sign wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and is expected to place the franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown. This would mark the second consecutive offseason of using the tag on Brown should Kansas City pursue that route.

Kansas City signed Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal last offseason as it revamped the wide receiver position, including a trade of Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins.

While the USC product couldn't replicate his Pro Bowl stats from 2018 when he posted 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns on the Pittsburgh Steelers, he more than lived up to expectations with the Chiefs.

He led the team's wide receivers with 78 catches and 933 receiving yards as a reliable option who took advantage of the spacing created by how much attention tight end Travis Kelce drew from opposing secondaries. He had seven catches for 53 yards during the Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Smith-Schuster will generate interest from other NFL teams, but the 26-year-old could find far worse situations as a wide receiver in his prime than catching passes from Patrick Mahomes.

As for Brown, it's no surprise Kansas City plans to keep him along the offensive front.

He made his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl this season and didn't miss a game on the run to the championship. Pro Football Focus gave him an impressive overall player grade of 75.8, and he is also just 26 years old.

Kansas City acquired Brown in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens ahead of the 2021 season to help protect Mahomes, and it apparently has no plans to lose him to free agency.