KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Chiefs legend is headed into retirement, and many on the team say it is well deserved.
On Wednesday, July 23, the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated the retirement of Tyrann Mathieu, former Safety. Mathieu helped lead the team to numerous Super Bowls between 2019 and 2021. After his 2022 departure, he played 3 seasons in New Orleans.
Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said it felt like he was one of the last to know – and maybe one of the last to congratulate Mathieu.
“You know these young guys with the phones and stuff. It was like they immediately knew; I didn’t know.” Spagnuolo told reporters on Wednesday. “You know how I feel about Tyrann. I’m waiting right now to send a text or a phone call because I know he is getting inundated. But, I want to probably get him on a day off.”
With Mathieu, Spags said the Chiefs defense just got better and better. With a combined 196 yards in his 3 seasons for Kansas City, he scored 2 touchdowns, according to the NFL.
“Special, special guy. I mean, we came here in 2019, Tyrann and I together, and he was a key piece to what we were doing. Started off a little rough but got better and better. But, I love Tyrann Mathieu. I’m really excited for what he… he’ll do something great moving forward.”
Another Chiefs great said that what Mathieu brought was a sense of leadership.
“You know me and Spags had the conversation about T5 yesterday,” said Chris Jones, Defensive Tackle. “T5 is like one of his favorite players, and I told Spags, ‘You know, I think I’m next in line.’ But he brought a sense of leadership; him and Frank Clark; a sense of tenacity that this team was missing to get over that hump to win a ring, and we created a lot of special moments for those guys.”
As for what Mathieu will do next, Spagnoulo doesn’t doubt it will be something memorable.
“He might end up being the president, who knows?” Spagnulolo concluded, “I mean, he’s a dynamic guy, but I think he’ll stay somehow in athletics or football, that’s my guess.”
The Chiefs are set to return to the practice field in St. Joseph on Thursday morning, July 24.
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