They say “never say never”, but at this point, the idea of any sort of reunion between the Kansas City Chiefs and star safety Tyrann Mathieu is off the table.
The Chiefs just came through draft weekend with a startling investment into the team’s secondary, including two new safeties in the rookie class of 10 picks. Given the free-agent activity of this spring as well, it just makes no sense at all for the Chiefs to even think about potentially re-signing Mathieu.
It is true that general manager Brett Veach recently spoke about the possibility of welcoming him back and said that “anything’s on the table.” That sounds good in a press clip or a pull quote, but the actions of the weekend have insinuated otherwise. Some things are no longer on the table that might have been there even a few days ago.
With a draft class that includes heavy investment at safety, the door is now unofficially closed on any Tyrann Mathieu reunion in Kansas City.
The Chiefs already replaced Mathieu with a swift move in free agency by signing former Houston Texans safety Justin Reid to a three-year contract. Reid profiles as a similar sort of player on the field, so it was easy to see the Chiefs’ offseason interest as getting younger and a bit cheaper at the position.
Beyond that, the Chiefs already had Juan Thornhill returning for another year—and a contract one at that—meaning both starting spots would be locked down. While the Chiefs play a lot of three safety sets on defense, it’s hard to believe Mathieu would take a third safety role, but even that has been crowded out in a few ways,
First, the Chiefs also added former Chicago Bears safety Deon Bush to the mix before the draft, and then this past weekend, they selected Bryan Cook, a safety out of Cincinnati, in the second round at No. 62 overall. That sort of significant investment is the same range they picked Thornhill. That doesn’t even include Nazeeh Johnson’s selection in the seventh round as a prospect from Marshall.
In short, the cupboards looked bare coming into the offseason in the secondary, but the Chiefs have chosen to undergo wholesale changes to the unit. The Chiefs now have three starting-caliber safeties who are all 25-and-under and should grow with reps and experience together. They also have smart veterans and intriguing prospects vying to round out the depth chart.
There’s just no room anymore for Mathieu in Kansas City.