Coming into the offseason, the K.C. Chiefs didn’t have the sort of major decisions to make that marked the previous offseason, but one major move expected to take place was a potential contract extension for star safety Tyrann Mathieu. On Monday, general manager Brett Veach backed up that rumor with the statement that he wanted to keep Mathieu in the Chiefs organization “for years to come.”
Mathieu initially signed with the Chiefs two years ago as part of complete defensive overhaul for new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Veach released Eric Berry and Justin Houston, traded Dee Ford, and allowed several other players to leave in free agency. He then traded for Frank Clark, drafted Juan Thornhill, and signed several key free agents, the most important of which was Mathieu.
The original deal for Mathieu was a three-year contract that set the high mark for safeties in the NFL at $42 million overall—good for a $14 million annual average. Now as Mathieu enters the final season of his deal, the Chiefs are expected to extend him this offseason which would not only give them security at the position going forward—knowing that Mathieu would be a part of the franchise for years to come—but it would also likely give some salary cap relief for the present.
Even before the 2020 season, head coach Andy Reid made it clear that he believed Mathieu was going to be an important leader on this team for years to come, which is why it felt obvious that the Chiefs would offer up such an extension at some point before it truly mattered.
Brett Veach says the K.C. Chiefs want to keep Tyrann Mathieu for a long time.
Mathieu was a Pro Bowl performer for the Chiefs last season and had 62 total tackles, 6 interceptions, 9 deflected passes and allowed a 60.2 percent passer rating to opposing quarterbacks.