Tyrann Mathieu has finally reached the mountaintop with the Chiefs

After seven seasons in the NFL, Tyrann Mathieu has finally reached the mountaintop. In the process, he may have found a home with the Kansas City Chiefs.

When the Kansas City Chiefs signed Tyrann Mathieu back in March of 2019, they knew they were getting someone special on and off the field. Mathieu came to Arrowhead after one season spent with the Houston Texans, where he solidified himself as a well-rounded, versatile defender.

His career, as solid as it’s been so far, hasn’t been blessed with a lot of postseason success. As a member of the Arizona Cardinals, Mathieu sniffed the playoffs only twice in five seasons, with the most memorable run coming in 2015 when the team made it to the NFC Championship round before falling to the Carolina Panthers.

From then on, the Cardinals never really recovered and the Honey Badger left the team in 2018 after the two sides couldn’t agree on him taking a pay cut. The next season saw Mathieu light it up with the Houston Texans, totaling 89 combined tackles, 4 QB hits, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Mathieu could have stayed in Houston if he wanted. The Texans’ defense was twelfth in the NFL in yards per offensive play and fourth in takeaways, and there was room for them to get even better. However, they were bounced out of the playoffs in the Wild Crd for the second time in their last three playoff trips. In the end, the Texans also couldn’t meet the financial demand.

Instead, Mathieu made the conscious choice to join the Kansas City Chiefs, the offensive powerhouse not particularly known for their stifling defense—though their overall ceiling was higher than that of the Texans, thanks in part to the marvelous talent that is Patrick Mahomes.

Now, in his first season under Andy Reid, Mathieu is preparing for a Super Bowl. A player of his talent deserves to shine on the grandest stage of all. Last season, the Chiefs gave up the second-most yards and the most first downs in the NFL. Their defense needed a major upgrade in the offseason.

Enter the Honey Badger.

The results were more than promising. While it’s worth noting that Mathieu wasn’t the only player the Chiefs went out of their way to recruit—they also traded for pass rushing cornerstone Frank Clark, who came up with 8.0 sacks on the season—but his impact was evident, just like Clark’s.

The Chiefs ranked in the middle of the pack for yards allowed, while Mathieu was graded as the 14th best safety in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. He was an omnipresent being for the Chiefs on defense and tallied the fourth-most snaps among all safeties during the regular season, lining up on the field 1,221 times.

For the first time since Eric Berry in 2016, the Chiefs had someone in the back end they could rely on every game. Mathieu has lined up all over the field for the Chiefs. He often lines up as the slot corner in nickel packages and can operate in coverage or closer to the line of scrimmage.

On Sunday night, on the grandest stage of them all: he’ll be ready. Mathieu and the Chiefs are coming up against a run-heavy San Francisco 49ers team that’ll look to control the clock and look for openings through the passing of Jimmy Garoppolo.

The All-Pro defensive back has helped changed the culture within the Chiefs defense, becoming a leader while bringing some attitude. That’s what he’s always been about. A defense once thought to be holding the Chiefs back from their Super Bowl ambitions is now getting ready for the fight of its life.

Win or lose on Sunday night, the Chiefs have found their leader on defense, and Mathieu has found a place he can call home.