The Arizona Cardinals couldn’t come to a restructured deal with defensive back Tyrann Mathieu so they are releasing him which means he is a free agent and can sign with any team ... including the Kansas City Chiefs.
I haven’t heard of any specific reports on where Mathieu might be going. There’s speculation it could be one of the New York teams because he knows the coaching staff. There’s also speculation it could be the Chiefs because I just made that up.
Willie McGinest did mention the Chiefs when asked on NFL Network for his best fit.
“The place that I think could be a perfect home for Tyrann is the Chiefs,” McGinest said. “A guy they just lost is their safety, Ron Parker. You got Eric Berry on the backend is more like the field general, the safety guy. And you saw those numbers, the quarterback hits are because he’s in the back. Those tackles are because he’s in the box playing that linebacker style.
“When you watch the tape, you see him right here pretty much in the slot. He had the most snaps from the slot than any safety in the league last year, which means they want him in the box. He finds the football, he has a radar and he’s a big hit guy ....
“I just think it’s a perfect fit for him for what Kansas City does and all the loss they’ve had on the defensive side of the ball, especially at the cornerback position and the linebacker position. You need a guy like that that’s going to play in that division to make plays.”
We’re all wondering about the cap space. No, I don’t know the Chiefs exact situation right now and I don’t know what Mathieu is looking for. Presumably Chiefs GM Brett Veach knows that and he said on Wednesday regarding Mathieu, “If we could make the money work sure.”
So, I’m not sure what that means but it is free agency time so let’s overanalyze it.