The ramifications of KC Chiefs not signing Tyrann Mathieu

It’s kind of hard to believe, but in just under a month, the NFL New Year will begin and with it will come free agency. The Kansas City Chiefs have several free agents this year, and you’ll want to keep an eye on Arrowhead Addict as we break down each free agent. But none is arguably bigger than Tyrann Mathieu.

The Honey Badger (or Landlord, depending on who you ask), was easily one of the greatest free-agent signings in Chiefs history just 3 years ago. In his first year with the team, Mathieu established himself as the leader of the Chiefs defense and helped lead the team to its first Super Bowl Championship in 50 years.

Since then, Tyrann has continued to make his presence known, even as his future with the team has been uncertain. Over the past year, there was much fan debate on whether the Chiefs should extend their star safety or not. The debate was fun and lively at times, but truthfully it didn’t ever seem realistic that the Chiefs would actually let him go.

Let’s look at the ramifications of not giving Tyrann Mathieu a contract extension.

But now with less than a month left until free agency, and still no contract extension in place, it’s suddenly seeming very realistic that a deal might not get done. The franchise tag is always in play, but it’s more likely the Chiefs will use that on their left tackle, Orlando Brown Jr. if a deal can’t get done with either player before free agency begins.

So what would the ramifications be if the Chiefs don’t re-sign the Kingdom Landlord?

1. On a pure fan level, I think it would be a sad day for the Kingdom. By and large, Chiefs Kingdom loves Mathieu and he seems to have genuinely invested in the city, both on the field and off. It’s hard to believe he’s played for two other teams, and it would definitely seem weird seeing him in yet another jersey after everything he’s contributed.
2. The Chiefs defense would lose their leader. Sure that side of the ball hasn’t been great all the time over the past 3 years, but Mathieu undisputedly made them better, and we wouldn’t have a ring without him. Replacing that level of leadership, locker room presence, and communication would be very difficult.
3. It would essentially mean that the Chiefs are in full-on rebuild mode on defense. Which might not be a bad thing. They’ve already released Anthony Hitchens. Frank Clark might not be back next year either. If the other defensive FAs like Dan Sorensen, Melvin Ingram, Jarran Reed, and Derrick Nnadi hit the road, then it’s basically assured that Veach will be remaking the entire defense and looking for a new leader.

Whatever happens, come March 16, Chiefs Kingdom will be eternally grateful for what Tyrann Mathieu has accomplished while wearing red. I personally hope that we see him back and that the Chiefs lock him up for the rest of his career. But even if they don’t, I trust that they have a plan to give Patrick Mahomes a more consistent defense to rely on, similar to what they did last season with the offensive line.