Tyrann Mathieu should cash in with lucrative contract extension from Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs can’t afford to lose Tyrann Mathieu to free agency and are in the beginning of working out a contract extension.

With respect to defensive tackle Chris Jones, there may not be a defender on the Kansas City Chiefs who is as valuable as Tyrann Mathieu.

Arguably the greatest free agent signing in the history of the Chiefs, Mathieu has one year left on his deal he signed before the 2019 season. The Chiefs don’t want to lose him in free agency and are in the early stages of working out a deal to keep him in Kansas City for the foreseeable future.

Last offseason was all about new deals for Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Jones and Mathieu is the next member of the core to get his new paper.

“We’d put Tyrann in that category,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. “We’ll have some work to do to get with him and his agents, but enough can’t be said about Tyrann and his importance to this team both on the field and in the locker room. He’s proven not just to be a great player but a great leader and great person to have developing the young guys and out in the community.

“We hope he’s secure with this organization for years to come.”

Tyrann Mathieu should get a rich new deal from the Chiefs

Mathieu signed a three-year, $42 million contract, including a $14.8 million signing bonus and an average annual salary of $14 million.

Entering free agency in 2021 coming off his age-30 season, Mathieu will likely be looking for a similar annual salary and term. The key sticking points of him actually getting a similar three-year deal worth $40-plus million will depend on how he performs in the 2021 season if the extension isn’t hammered out in the offseason.

Mathieu is coming off a season that saw the former LSU star record a career-high six interceptions with 62 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and nine passes defended. Mathieu was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second team and made his second consecutive First-Team All-Pro (third overall).

In what may have been the best season of his eight-year career, Mathieu is in a prime position to cash in with a lucrative new contract.