Kansas City Chiefs sign Tyrann Mathieu: Grade, reaction and more

The Kansas City Chiefs made a huge splash on defense when they agreed to terms with safety Tyrann Mathieu. This move impacts a lot on the market, and on the Chiefs, especially with one fan favorite.

Just one stop is all the Kansas City Chiefs needed in the AFC Championship Game, and they could be the team celebrating a Super Bowl title today. The New England Patriots left no stone unturned as the Chiefs defense looked overmatched at times against Tom Brady. There were still multiple chances to win the game, and the Pats won thanks to a coin toss in overtime. Still, if the Chiefs had someone make a play in the extra session, it could have changed history.

Well, the Chiefs made a move to try and get a player who’s used to making plays. Adam Schefter reports that former Texans and Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu agreed to a three-year deal with the Chiefs.

Contract Details

The deal will pay him $42 million over the three years. We aren’t positive of the total guarantees in the contract, but on the surface this looks like a good deal for both parties. However, it feels like an overpayment to say the least.

Mathieu is a very good safety, but one would argue he isn’t great. The Chiefs are getting him for the same price the Washington Redskins just paid for Landon Collins. Obviously, it’s much shorter term, but still the same price in the short term.

National Reaction

Overall, the reaction shows this as a good fit for the Chiefs in general. Clearly, this is a major upgrade for a defense that sorely needed it.

Ian Rapoport calls Mathieu the Chiefs top target. Well, they got that target, but it cost them huge.

ESPN’s Field Yates, who’s been commenting on every deal of the day, seems to be in on this deal. We’ve all watched Mathieu’s interesting career up until now, and he finally turned his play on the field into a pay day off of it.

https://twitter.com/Eric_Edholm/status/1105252285066760192

Then there’s this. What does this signing mean for Eric Berry? Eric Edholm is correct, on paper Berry and Mathieu could join forces for a superstar safety tandem, but in today’s NFL that’s a fortune to pay for one position, especially if that position is safety.

It feels like this move is to either replace Berry, or coax him into taking a pay cut. He might not be willing to take less money, but if he’s no longer taking on the brunt of the pressure, maybe he will. Either way, this move is a massive upgrade for a defense that needed it.

This signing gets a solid B. It could have been an A if we graded based totally on need, but we’re taking the whole deal into account. Many are saying the Landon Collins was overpaid, and Mathieu was given the same average annual value.

Still, anything less than a B feels wrong. This could be the key signing to turning this defense around, and may be the final piece of a Super Bowl winning roster. Obviously, a lot has to work out for that to happen, but this is the first step in the right direction.

Whether this is the end of the Eric-Berry era or not, this is a major win for the Chiefs and its fans. This deal looks like a lot now, but will eventually be celebrated for one of the better moves of the offseason.