KC Chiefs free agent profile: Will Tyrann Mathieu return in 2022?
By Josh Fann
Why bring him back?
The case to bring Mathieu back is pretty simple. He’s been an All-Pro level player for the majority of his time here and he has been the vocal leader of the secondary since his arrival.
Mathieu serves as the pseudo secondary coordinator and we saw how big of a difference there is when he is and isn’t out there as recently as the Buffalo Bills game in the divisional round. After he went out with a concussion on the first drive the middle of the field was open all night and a lot of guys in the secondary were out of place.
Mathieu overall has been a huge part of the defense and will certainly go down as one of the best free agency signings in the organization’s history. After everything he’s done, it seems like a no-brainer to sign him to a new contract. He said he wants to be here. I mean, why wouldn’t they?
If they let him go then they’re obviously going to have to spend big resources to replace him so if you are going to do that you may as well just bring back Mathieu, right?
Why let him go?
This brings us to the case of letting Mathieu go. For a lot of us, it got to a point where it seemed like Mathieu was surely gone because of the fact nothing had gotten done and Mathieu would talk in absolutes on Twitter that he isn’t going to be here. There was just a certain vibe around the situation that he wasn’t going to be here.
If I had to take a crack at why Mathieu and the Chiefs may part ways it’s simply because he wants a lot of money and the Chiefs don’t think he will be worth it as he continues to age. I’m not saying that I agree with it or that it’s right but that’s what I’d bet. His production did dip a bit this year, and he didn’t make very many clutch plays down the stretch when the Chiefs needed them.
In that case, it does give the Chiefs the most flexibility. They could even tag and trade Mathieu to get some assets back. They might also want to get younger at the position and think there’s a free agent out there that could make their defense more physically imposing. This free-agent class for safeties will likely include names such as Jessie Bates and Marcus Williams who both possess coveted skill sets and are substantially younger than Mathieu.
On the other hand, the Chiefs could just save money altogether and see what’s available in the draft at the position so they can invest in other positions that are high on their list.
The possibilities are endless if you let Mathieu go elsewhere whereas you could be strapped for cash if the Chiefs give him somewhere around $20 million per year. We will have to see which path the Chiefs go, but both scenarios are certainly in play.