Tyrann Mathieu credits Steve Spagnuolo with career 'revival'

The former Chiefs safety had nothing but glowing things to say about his former defensive coordinator.

We trust that Tyrann Mathieu is happy to be at home.

Mathieu has spent the last couple of seasons in his home state of Louisiana playing for the New Orleans Saints, and the veteran safety even signed a new two-year extension earlier this offseason that will keep him there through the 2026 season.

That said, Mathieu also clearly has fond memories of his time with the Kansas City Chiefs—the sort of memories that winning a championship in your prime years will create.

During a recent interview with Sportscasting's Kyle Odegard, Mathieu opened up about his tenure with the Chiefs and, in particular, his appreciation for Steve Spagnuolo as a defensive coordinator.

Mathieu came to Kansas City via free agency after betting on himself by taking a one-year deal with the Houston Texans. The Chiefs came calling with a nice three-year contract worth up to $42 million to serve as a new anchor on a wholesale rebuild for a secondary that was short on available talent (thanks to Eric Berry's late-career injuries) and overall talent (seriously, it was Jordan Lucas and Daniel Sorensen and Eric Murray getting reps).

As Mathieu tells the story, he said Spags figured prominently in his recruitment as a free agent. Not only were the Chiefs showing up with a sizable financial check, but he was being given a blank one on the field.

“I remember him telling me about Brian Dawkins and all the great guys he had an opportunity to coach, and how I fit that mold with those guys. I was so excited, because that’s what I was used to. I was used to being a freshman at LSU, where if you’ve got 30 plays in the game plan, 15 of them are for Tyrann. It had been a few years. Three years, right? Todd Bowles left AZ, and then James Bettcher was the coordinator, but the defense wasn’t for me anymore. It was kind of geared toward Chandler Jones and what he could do. When I got to KC, that was my defense.”

During those three seasons, Mathieu credits Spagnuolo with "rejuvenating" him, an awakening spurred by a coach's trust in his talented player. “Spags rejuvenated me, because there was three to four years where my coach wasn’t calling plays for me. They didn’t think I could do that. He knew I could. He played a big part in my revival.”

“Every play that came into the huddle was, ‘Alright, Tyrann, what do you want to do: Play quarters, play half field, do you want to rob the middle?’ I had that freedom. I had the green dot to do what I wanted. That sh– helped me too. So much of the game is psychological, man, mental, and that sh– was important for me. It was a few years before I went to work thinking, ‘This sh– is about to pop off, like I’m about to make a play.’ That sh– helps you get out of bed every morning.”

Given the results of Spags' continued influence, it's clear that so many other players would likely echo his sentiments. You can read the full interview with Mathieu here.