Kansas City Chiefs determined to work out extension with Tyrann Mathieu

Veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu and Kansas City Chiefs have yet to come to an agreement on an extension to keep him there long term but the Chiefs plan to keep trying to get a deal done.

Mathieu is one of the best ball-hawking safeties in the NFL. The 29-year-old all-pro safety is ranked 58th in NFL.com’s top 100 players list. However, he is currently in the third and final year of his current contract with Kansas City.

The Chiefs on the situation

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach did an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday. During that interview he touched on the contract situation with Mathieu:

“…We like to think that we’re going to find a way to get this done. And he knows we love him, and we know he wants to be here. And right now, for him, and for us, I think it’s just a timing thing,” Veach said. “But there’s not a guy in this league I respect as much as him for the way he goes about his business. And, you know, listen, a lot of these guys, and a lot of these teams — I think we saw the franchise tag period come and go, and no one got done.

“And there have been a couple of deals, but a lot of these bigger deals haven’t been done for the same reason. Different players handle it in a different way. And just like you’d expect from Tyrann, just complete class. I mean, the guy is special. We love him. And we’re certainly going to work our tail off to keep him here.”

This interview seems to suggest that the Chief’s organization is committed to bringing back its superstar safety. What helps the Chiefs out in this situation is that Mathieu has already expressed a desire to stay with the team long-term. Since joining the team in 2018, he has been a vocal team leader on defense and in the locker room. His leadership is welcomed and appreciated by the offensive leader and face of the franchise Patrick Mahomes, so much so that Mahomes has gone to bat for the safety.

“He’s such a great leader on this team and obviously a special football player,” Mahomes said. “You want him to be here for the long run and you can tell that Chiefs Kingdom is really behind him as the leader of that defense, and a leader on this team. Definitely want him to be here as long as he can and as long as I’m here.”

What separates the two sides

The thing that makes this contract extension difficult is the amount of money Kansas City already has tied up. The Chiefs already have four contracts of $20 million or more on cap for next season. And with Jamal Adams’s contract resetting the market for the safety position retaining Mathieu could require an amount north of $17 million. That final number would depend on the veteran safety’s desire of being the NFL’s highest-paid safety. But with all the unknowns surrounding Mathieu’s contract extension, one thing is clear both sides are ready and willing to get this extension done.

(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

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