KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Free agent safety Tyrann Mathieu was announced Tuesday as the Kansas City Chiefs’ MVP for the 2021 season.
It is the second time in three seasons with the Chiefs that Mathieu has won the award.
He also won the Derrick Thomas MVP Award in 2019 after he and defensive end Frank Clark helped revitalize Kansas City's defense en route to the franchise's first Super Bowl title in 50 years.
Tight end Travis Kelce won the award in 2020.
Mathieu, a two-time Pro Bowl pick and two-time first-team All-Pro selection during his tenure in Kansas City, tied for third on the Chiefs last season.
He finished with 76 total tackles, including 60 solo tackles, with two tackles for a loss, three interceptions and six passes defended in 2021.
Mathieu returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown in September at Baltimore.
Before the 2019 season, Mathieu signed a three-year deal with $42 million. He averaged 71 tackles and totaled 13 interceptions in 47 games, all starts, during the last three seasons.
Mathieu and Kansas City have expressed mutual interest in working out a new contract for 2022, but the Chiefs have plenty of other roster needs — including defensive end and wide receiver — that require attention.
Finding a way to fill those myriad needs may hamstring Kansas City’s ability to offer Mathieu another pricey long-term deal.
Mathieu became emotional when discussing his future after an AFC Championship Game loss to Cincinnati.
Later that week, Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach said Mathieu’s future — and that of left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who also is a pending free agent — were top priorities for the 2022 season.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Chiefs also announced that linebacker Nick Bolton, a second-round pick from Mizzou, was chosen as the Mack Lee Hill Rookie of the Year Award winner.
The awards are voted on by Chiefs players.
