Kansas City Chiefs DB Tyrann Mathieu says he deletes a lot of tweets, but his latest comments will have Chiefs Kingdom forgetting all about a deleted tweet from the middle of last month.
Back then, Mathieu seemed skeptical that he’d earn a second contract with the Chiefs. Now, he seems to be more optimistic about that second contract. One thing that has remained constant throughout, is Mathieu’s desire to finish his NFL career in Kansas City.
“I mean it’s probably at the top of the list,” Mathieu told reporters on Thursday. “It has been everything that I’ve asked for.”
One of the reasons Mathieu might be singing a different tune now is that he’s had a chance to be back in the building with his teammates and coaches. A mantra that’s emblazoned on the team facilities comes to mind. It says, “Come in as teammates, leave as a family.”
“For me, I feel like I can play football anywhere, but when you develop relationships with certain people, these people become a part of your life,” Mathieu explained. “Coach Spags (Steve Spagnuolo), Coach (Dave) Merritt, Coach (Andy) Reid, Coach (Barry) Rubin — our strength coach — all these men have been important to me. I can’t see me ever walking away from that relationship. I’ve been through a lot in my life. So for me, I think holding onto certain relationships kind of outweighs any monetary thing, any short feeling or emotion I may be feeling in the moment.”
Mathieu is entering the final year of his three-year $42-million-dollar contract with Chiefs that he signed back in 2019. He has aspirations of playing for 8-10 more seasons in the NFL. If you asked Mathieu a month ago, he probably wouldn’t have thought a contract extension was coming. Now, he vehemently believes that a new contract is coming.
“Yeah, I do,” Mathieu said. “I have tremendous faith, not just in myself, but in the people around me. I think about my family a lot and we’re extremely blessed and extremely thankful for everything. So for me, I’ve got to keep all those things in perspective. I don’t consider myself a guy that necessarily does things for his own benefit. More importantly, I’m just looking forward to continuing to be a Chief and continuing to help the younger guys around me. Help the receivers and help anybody I can to continue to get better. To be honest I think that’s my focus and it should be my focus.”
Ultimately, Mathieu has found everything that he’s been looking for during the past two seasons in Kansas City. He’s had success on and off the field, but he’s also created his own football family with the Chiefs. It’s hard for him to imagine leaving that all behind and starting again with a new team.
“Just being here the last couple of years, I can see me wearing any other uniform,” Mathieu said. “I think the fans here are amazing, my teammates are amazing, I spoke about the relationships I have with my coaches. Some of these things, you can’t buy at other places. I’m a guy that has had to start over quite often, so I would like to stay here, for sure.”
Look for more progress to be made on Mathieu’s contract situation in the coming months ahead of training camp.
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