KANSAS CITY, Mo. — General Manager Brett Veach didn’t close the door on safety Tyrann Mathieu remaining with the Kansas City Chiefs next season during a conversation with reporters Tuesday.
Veach, who is entering his fifth season as the Chiefs’ general manager, said Mathieu and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. “will be at the top of the list” when it comes to offseason priorities.
“Certainly, Tyrann wants to be here and play here and loves it here,” Veach said. “We certainly feel the same way. We love him.”
Mathieu became emotional when discussing his future Sunday after Kansas City lost to Cincinnati in the AFC Championship Game.
He then tweeted Monday he will “leave with a grateful heart” while thanking the city and Chiefs Kingdom.
Mathieu certainly has sounded like he believes his NFL future lies outside Kansas City, but Veach didn’t necessarily see it that way. He understands Mathieu’s passion and tendency to “wear his emotions on his sleeve.”
“I think that’s just Tyrann being his genuine self,” Veach said. “He’s always going to speak from the heart. He’s a special person. You won’t find anybody in the building who doesn’t love him. You won’t find anybody in any building that he’s ever played in that doesn’t love him.”
While Veach acknowledged that Mathieu “loves playing and living in Kansas City,” he stopped short of declaring that he expects him to remain the Chiefs’ strong safety moving forward.
“There are certain things out of his control and, at the moment, out of our control until we get more information and work through the process,” Veach said.
Kansas City, Mathieu and his representatives spoke before the season and agreed to reassess the landscape during the offseason.
The Chiefs, who came up short of the Super Bowl for the first time in three seasons, have plenty of roster holes to plug, so part of the Mathieu equation would involve fitting his contract into the salary-cap picture in 2022, 2023 and beyond.
Mathieu was the key free-agent signing before the 2019 season to help Kansas City return to and win its first Super Bowl in a half-century.
He has averaged 71 tackles with 13 interceptions, four fumble recoveries and 27 passes defended during the last three seasons.
He was a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and 2020 and was selected to the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons.
Originally, Mathieu — who has played nine NFL seasons, including stints with Arizona and Houston — signed a three-year deal worth $42 million with Kansas City. He will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
