Tyrann Mathieu talks about joining the Kansas City Chiefs

Safety Tyrann Mathieu recently talked about his decision to join the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason on a three-year contract.

In a recent interview with Sirius XM radio, safety Tyrann Mathieu spoke about leaving the Houston Texans in free agency and joining the Kansas City Chiefs.

For Mathieu, the decision-making process came down to how he would be used on the field, and apparently the veteran liked what he heard from Andy Reid and his staff.

“When Kansas City called, it was a great deal,” said Mathieu. “I felt like it was one I really couldn’t turn down. Obviously they have a great program. Those guys were in the championship game last year. They got a lot of great pieces on our team, and so talking with Coach Reid and talking with Spags [about] their plan for me and how they’re going to use me really sold me on those guys.”

Spags refers to Steve Spagnuolo, the new defensive coordinator for the Chiefs hired this offseason to replace Bob Sutton, who had been in place for six seasons. Spagnuolo’s arrival signaled a complete overhaul for the defense, a plan that caused the Chiefs to release Justin Houston, trade Dee Ford, cut Eric Berry and sever ties with several other former defenders.

The team’s vision for Mathieu likely rivals their long-term hopes for Eric Berry these last two seasons as the dynamic, versatile playmaker in the secondary they’ve been missing. Unfortunately, Berry has dealt with numerous injuries and has missed the bulk of the last two years.

Mathieu is now the clear leader (and most talented player) on a unit that is likely to import plenty of further talent in the draft. Perhaps that’s the sort of vision he was hoping to hear from a team who could use him all along.