KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The honors keep stacking up for Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu.
He was announced Tuesday as the team’s nominee for the 2021 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, which Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes both commented on during weekly media availability.
In addition, the NFL announced Thursday that Mathieu has taken over the lead at the strong safety spot in AFC Pro Bowl voting.
He is one of three Chiefs players, along with tight end Travis Kelce and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who leads the conference in voting at their position.
Mathieu ranks third on Kansas City’s defensive roster with 58 tackles and two interceptions, including one for a touchdown. He also has been credited with five passes defended and a fumble recovery.
Mathieu has received 73,982 votes.
Denver’s Kareem Jackson led the AFC in Pro Bowl voting at strong safety before this week.
Kelce, who ranks second on the Chiefs' roster with 70 catches for 848 yards and five touchdowns, remains second in overall voting among all NFL players. He has 158,633 votes as of Thursday and is only trailing Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor (168,222).
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (156,176), Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady (151,305) and Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett (150,268) round out the top five most voted for players.
Brown rounds out the Chiefs' top three most voted for players with 54,126 votes.
Fans can vote for their favorite players online through Dec. 16 and also can vote directly on Twitter from Dec. 1-16.
Social media votes should include the player’s first and last name, official Twitter handle or a hashtag using the player’s first and last names, along with the hashtag #ProBowlVote.
Coaches and NFL players will cast their votes on Dec. 17.
The fan, coach and player votes will each count toward one-third of the final Pro Bowl selections.
Selected players will be announced at 6 p.m. on Dec. 20 on NFL Network’s live Pro Bowl special.
