Tyrann Mathieu free agency 2022: Landing spots, projected contract, prediction for Chiefs safety

For the third time in his career, Tyrann Mathieu is slated to hit free agency. The most recent time the safety hit the open market came in 2019 when he’d eventually make the wise choice of inking a three-year deal with the Kanas City Chiefs. There, Mathieu blossomed into one of the key pieces to the club’s Super Bowl LIV championship run and has arguably been the face of the Chiefs’ defense throughout his tenure while Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill hold the spotlight on offense. 

He’s either been an All-Pro or Pro Bowler over his three seasons with the Chiefs and has proven to be one of the more versatile players in the league. He’s shown the ability to play in the back end of the secondary as a traditional safety, line up in the slot or move up in the box, which makes him a fascinating piece in any secondary. 

Last season, Mathieu totaled 76 tackles and one sack, while defending six passes and recording three interceptions. 

As we wait to see where Mathieu will end up, let this post be your hub for all things surrounding his free agency. Below, you’ll find potential landing spots, a look at his projected contract, and a nugget-by-nugget news rundown of all the latest developments. 

Salary cap figures come from Spotrac.

Potential landing spots

Kansas City Chiefs

A return to Kansas City is not only possible but it should be considered the most likely ending to Mathieu’s free agency. He was dominant during his first three seasons with the organization and was able to help lead the Chiefs to two Super Bowl appearances and one title. He has expressed a desire to remain in Kansas City and the Chiefs have been open to a return as well. They also should have enough cap space to make a competitive offer that reflects Mathieu’s market. 

Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers are expected to be a big player this offseason as they have roughly $57.5 million in cap space (second-most in the NFL). That’s plenty of room to target Mathieu and they could use a playmaker like him on defense with the secondary coming off a 19th-best ranking in the league against the pass in DVOA. L.A. would not only be injecting a talented player like Mathieu into its secondary, but they’d also be making their AFC West opponent in the Chiefs weaker, which adds some spice to the potential pursuit. 

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens would need to create more than the $9.7 million in cap space they currently are projected to have this offseason to make a run at Mathieu. Outside of the financials, Mathieu just feels like a Baltimore Raven. The franchise has a strong history of getting the best out of versatile safeties and Mathieu could be the latest installment if he were to leave Kanas City. Baltimore could also use the boost in the secondary after ranking 30th in DVOA against the pass last season.

Dallas Cowboys 

Putting a playmaker like Mathieu in what is already a budding Dallas defense would be a scary proposition for the rest of the NFC. Dallas’ pass defense ranked No. 2 in the NFL in DVOA last season largely thanks to their two youngsters in corner Trevon Diggs and pass rusher Micah Parsons. While that unit certainly has some young elite pieces it can grow with, the Cowboys may lose safeties Damontae Kazee and Malik Hooker this offseason, so there will be a hole to fill at safety. The pending release of Amari Cooper also should help Dallas move toward having enough cap space to target someone like Mathieu. 

Projected contract

Mathieu is coming off of a three-year, $42 million contract he signed with Kansas City in March 2019. If the Chiefs don’t elect to place the franchise tag on him, he could be looking at a similar contract to the one that is set to expire. According to Spotrac’s market value calculations, Mathieu is projected to see a contract that pays him an average annual salary of $14.8 million. That’s roughly the same AAV that he earned during his last deal with Kansas City. 

Prediction

There appears to be enough motivation from both Mathieu’s camp and the Chiefs that the two sides will eventually hammer out a deal that keeps the safety in Kansas City. Given Mathieu’s affinity for the organization, it wouldn’t be shocking to learn that he opted for a hometown discount to remain with the Chiefs rather than try to break the bank elsewhere in free agency. 

Free agent timeline

March 1: At the NFL Scouting Combine, Chiefs GM Brett Veach was asked about a number of his pending free agents and noted that the team is looking to get a deal done with Mathieu. 

“After the Cincinnati game, we had a chance to talk,” Veach said. “We certainly love Tyrann and Tyrann loves being here. We’ll start that process this week and hopefully, everything ends in a positive direction.” 

Jan. 31: In the aftermath of the Chiefs losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship, Mathieu was asked about his looming free agent status and expressed that he would like to remain in Kansas City. 

“I hope so,” he said, via The Kansas City Star. “Ever since I came here, I’ve just tried to be the right kind of teammate. I’ve tried to play my part. And obviously it’s always that feeling that you could make more plays for your team, but I’m hoping it works out.”