Kansas City Chiefs: What to do about Tyrann Mathieu’s future?

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off their worst loss of the Patrick Mahomes era. And that sounds like an understatement. The supposed second-half redemption we saw against the Football Team apparently got left in Kansas City this past week when the Chiefs traveled to Nashville to play the Tennessee Titans. Or maybe it got left on the plane.

The sudden collapse of one of the best teams in football from the past three seasons has baffled many and it has led to a lot of hard questions, with very few answers. One question that has come up recently has been whether or not the Chiefs should still extend star safety Tyrann Mathieu.

Less than two months ago fans were chomping at the bit, demanding that Mathieu get his well-earned extension. Now, seven weeks in, and a 3-4 record later, those calls have been few and far between.

Is Tyrann Mathieu still a lock for a contract extension?

There are a few things to consider with Mathieu’s extension now that the Chiefs are in this precarious situation. First, has Mathieu been a part of the problem? Everybody knows that the Chiefs defense has been, to put it nicely, subpar, but what role has Mathieu played in that?

Play-wise, Mathieu hasn’t been terrible, but he also hasn’t been his usual self. He’s only had two interceptions this season – both back in week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens, and one was returned for a pick-6. He also has 27 solo tackles this season.

Just as much as his play, Mathieu has also been known as the defensive leader for the Chiefs for the past three seasons. It’s clear that as a leader he has grown frustrated with his own defense, especially when Daniel Sorensen got repeatedly burned game after game after game.

Of all the players on the defense, it’s hard to argue that Mathieu has been the worst. In fact, I think he has been one of the few players most dedicated to try and right the ship. However, it’s also debatable how much he’s actually fixing the defense. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all on him. Rather, it’s hard for one man to make up for poor play from the other ten.

As the Chiefs continue to tinker with the defense, we know that this offseason will bring a lot of hard decisions (which are suddenly looking easier and easier to make), like getting rid of Frank Clark and Dirty Dan, but what will they do with Mathieu?

Unfortunately, the Chiefs have been known for handing out a big contract to their defensive stars and getting very little reward from it. This isn’t just true with the current batch of players, but also previous stars like Justin Houston and Eric Berry. With Clark looking like the latest contractual failure, and Jones starting to make Veach sweat bullets, the real question is: do they try again with Mathieu?

With an inevitable tear down coming, perhaps it is smart to just let Mathieu go, not out of ill-will, but out of necessity. Besides, would Mathieu even want to stay and be a part of a new defensive rebuild? If the Chiefs actually move on from defensive coordinator Steve Spagnoulo, would Mathieu find it better to learn a new scheme in a new location too? Would anyone blame him?

No matter what happens, Mathieu will always be a Chiefs legend. We would not have won a Super Bowl without his leadership, which would make his leaving all the more painful. But I think a part of Chiefs Kingdom would ultimately still respect Mathieu if he decided to move on (or the Chiefs just let him leave).

Just don’t @ him on Twitter. Or the Landlord might come knocking.