HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 09: Eric Berry #29 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates his first quarter interception against the Houston Texans during the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at NRG Stadium on January 9, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Eric Berry’s long holdout appears to be nearly over.

The standout safety and the Kansas City Chiefs tried and failed to agree to a long-term contract after the Pro Bowl safety was slapped with the franchise tag. He hasn’t signed as of yet, so while his holdout goes on he can’t be fined for missing training camp. But that problem appears to be ending, as Ian Rapoport reports.

Berry is reportedly going to return to the Chiefs facility and sign his franchise tender as early as next week, which would put him in line to play in the first week of the NFL season when the Chiefs host the San Diego Chargers. Berry reportedly “trained like crazy” and is in very good shape as the season edges closer.

His coach, Andy Reid, expects Berry to be ready for week one despite the holdout as well.

“Eric’s one of our good players and he’s in the business side of it right now,” Reid told NBC Sports Radio. “This is all part of the profession, so I get it. But I also know when he comes in he’s going to be in great shape, he’ll be able to get himself back before the first game and be ready to go because that’s the way he trains in the offseason and the kind of shape he keeps himself in.”

Berry cannot sign a new deal until after the Chiefs’ season ends, so he’ll play under the franchise tender this season and he’ll earn a shade under $11 million. After recovering from cancer, his play last season earned him the Comeback Player of the Year award. With the Chiefs front seven dinged up at the moment, Berry’s return is most certainly welcomed.

[NFL.com/ProFootballTalk]

About Matt Lichtenstadter

Recent Maryland graduate. I've written for many sites including World Soccer Talk, GianlucaDiMarzio.com, Testudo Times, Yahoo's Puck Daddy Blog and more. Houndstooth is still cool, at least to me. Follow me @MattsMusings1 on Twitter, e-mail me about life and potential jobs at matthewaaron9 at Yahoo dot com.