Orlando Brown Jr. walked away from $139 million. But in the end, he actually made the right decision.

The left tackle is one of the most important positions in the NFL. They protect a quarterback's blindside and are often one of the highest paid players in the league. Brown had his fair share of struggles early on in his career. as he underperformed during the 2018 draft combine, finishing last in the bench press, vertical jump, and broad jump among all offensive linemen.

After being widely considered a first-round pick, Brown fell to the third round and was picked by the Baltimore Ravens with the 82nd pick. In his rookie season, Brown played in all 16 games (ten as a starter) for the Ravens, including their wild card loss against the San Diego Chargers. However, with star left tackle Ronnie Stanley suffering a season ending ankle injury during Week 8 of the 2020 season, Brown shifted to the left tackle spot instead of playing at right tackle.

The Ravens had a dilemma on their hands with Brown's rookie extension after he put together a pair of Pro Bowl campaigns in 2019 and 2020. The fact that they inked Stanley to a five-year extension worth $112.8 million midway through the 2020 season didn't exactly help matters either.

Ultimately, they chose Stanley. On April 23rd, 2021, Brown was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs along with a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. In exchange, the Chiefs traded their first, third, and fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a 2022 fifth-round pick to land the star tackle.

Orlando Brown Jr. bet on himself

The Chiefs ended up inheriting Brown's contract situation, and they didn't have much better luck than the Ravens. As per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Chiefs' final offer was a six-year, $139 million deal that included a $30.25 million signing bonus and $95 million in the first five years of the contract. Had he signed the offer, Brown would've had the highest signing bonus for a left tackle in league history, as well as the highest base salary of all time.

Instead, Brown chose to bet on himself and played under the franchise tag for the 2022 season since only the first two years of the Chiefs offer were fully guaranteed. Once the season came along, Brown Jr. continued to show his worth. He was named to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl and helped the Chiefs win their 2nd Super Bowl in four years.

In the offseason, Brown was finally rewarded with a new contract. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on a 4-year $64 million contract, including $43.5 million guaranteed over the first two years. The deal also included a $31 million signing bonus, the highest ever for an offensive lineman.

When he signed the deal with the Bengals, Brown made sure to keep the receipts of those who doubted him by posting a tweet of his pre-draft evaluation. Some of the comments made by the evaluators were that he was below the line for success and one expert claimed when he watched his tape, he said Brown Jr.'s only positive was that he weighed 355 lbs, and stood 6'8” tall. But hey, everyone makes mistakes.

NFL Player Who REJECTED $139,000,000 😲 I Clutch #Shorts – YouTube