Eric Berry and the Kansas City Chiefs failed to reach a long-term deal prior to Friday's deadline to extend the Pro Bowl safety's contract off his one-year franchise tag worth $10,806,000, the team announced.
There was a 4 p.m. ET deadline for designated franchise players to sign long-term contracts. A source told ESPN's Adam Caplan that both sides had one conversation Friday, with no movement toward a deal.
"Unfortunately, we were unable to reach a long-term agreement with Eric's representatives before today's deadline," Chiefs GM John Dorsey said in a statement. "Although both sides would have preferred a different outcome, Eric is a true professional and a tremendous football player, and we know that he will continue to be a leader in our locker room.
"We look forward to resuming our discussions on a long-term agreement when the negotiating window reopens after the season."
Berry, 27, received the Chiefs' non-exclusive franchise tag on March 1. He is allowed to negotiate with other teams but any club that signs him will have had to surrender two first-round picks to the Chiefs.
As he hadn't signed the tender, Berry stayed away from the Chiefs' offseason activities and didn't participate in the team's minicamp.
This is the second consecutive year the Chiefs have gone down to the July 15 deadline with a franchised player. Last year on deadline day, Kansas City and linebacker Justin Houston agreed to a six-year, $101 million deal that included $52.5 million guaranteed.
Berry capped a remarkable 2015 season by being named NFL Comeback Player of the Year by The Associated Press.
He was diagnosed in November 2014 with Hodgkin lymphoma, shortly after complaining of tightness in his chest after a game against the Oakland Raiders.
Berry, buoyed by his conditioning sessions even through his chemotherapy treatments, was cleared to return to football by both personal physicians and team doctors shortly before the start of training camp last summer.
Things progressed in stages from there. Berry quickly was allowed to participate in contact drills, earned his starting spot back and -- over the last several games of the season -- played as well as he had at any time before his illness.
Sources told ESPN's Dan Graziano there were some unusual aspects to the negotiations that had to do with his health situation. The Chiefs tried to put in a $20 million disability policy, and asked Berry to pay the $2 million premium, which Berry didn't like it.
Berry finished third on the Chiefs in tackles and had two interceptions. After the season he played in the fourth Pro Bowl of his six-year NFL career.
Berry joined the Chiefs as a first-round draft pick in 2010 from Tennessee.
ESPN Chiefs reporter Adam Teicher contributed to this report.