Three years ago, as the Chiefs sought to change the productivity of their defense by first altering those who influenced it, they pinpointed free agent safety Tyrann Mathieu as their guy. They were lured by his talent, to be sure, but only further persuaded by the personality. They needed both — a Pro Bowl player who could also project as the loudest voice in the room.
There was a bit of an abnormality to a potentially idealistic notion of marrying the two with one player, even if only at first — the newest guy on the roster doesn’t always feel the most comfortable barking out the orders. So Mathieu conjured an idea. He would invite the entire defense to his house every week, with a really simple goal in mind.
“I just tried to get to know dudes,” he said. “That’s how I came about it.”
Three years later, Mathieu is headed to New Orleans on a three-year, $33 million contract with the Saints. He is genuinely happy to call the Superdome his new home after attending high school only 3.5 miles north of the Saints’ venue.
But his initial preference this offseason was to stay in Kansas City. He emphasized that when we met for an hourlong conversation last month, describing his immediate emotions as heartbreak. That talk produced a column identifying what Mathieu will miss about playing with the Chiefs.
Now, it’s time to talk about what the Chiefs will miss about the player. Let’s start the weekly tradition — Thursday nights at the Mathieus. Teammates watched football together; they played cards; Mathieu ordered dinner. It might seem consequential. But it’s something. And for now, it’s something missing.
“That’s where we really connected,” Mathieu said during our interview last month. “A lot of people have walls up. But that was the chance to really connect. And when you feel like you know a guy, you know how to coach him, how to teach him, how to help him become the best player he can be..”
This all underscores what was always going to be the most difficult component of valuing Mathieu as he entered free agency again this offseason. How much extra are you willing to pay for what basically amounts to good leadership?
The Chiefs wanted to get younger and faster defensively this offseason, a worthwhile objective that they’ve largely accomplished, including with the addition of 25-year-old safety Justin Reid to ultimately replace Mathieu.
But it’s a give and take.
They will take the speed. They will take the youth. They will take a player entering his prime.
But they will return the leadership. For now, at least. It’s a really young secondary. Reid, L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton are 25; Juan Thornhill is 26; first-round pick Trent McDuffie is 21. Those are the projected starters in what players have often described as a complicated defensive system under coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Think it might be beneficial to have Mathieu in the room? Heck, even the Chiefs do.
“Somebody else will have to step into that and pick their game up,” head coach Andy Reid said. “We were lucky to have him here, where guys could see how he rolls and how he leads.
“Sure loved having him here.”
The Chiefs would prefer not to pay players $11 million annually when they are entering their 30s. It falls into the category of erring on the side of losing a player one year too early rather than one or two years too late. And it’s a good philosophy.
It’s just not without its drawbacks. Mathieu is a Pro Bowl player because of his study habits as much as his God-given talent on the other side of multiple knee surgeries. He quite literally sat in the front of the room during film sessions. He would arrive at the Chiefs facility as early as 6 on some mornings.
He led by example.
And hands-on.
He would send teammates text messages frequently — sometimes they were words of encouragement; other times they provided the Xs and Os specific assignments. Who assumes that role now?
On Monday, I asked defensive back Nazeeh Johnson, a Chiefs’ seventh-round pick in this year’s draft, if he’d heard yet from any of the veteran players in the secondary.
Not yet, he said.
I don’t mean to make too much of that, because it’s not the case of anyone dropping the ball. It is, however, a reminder that the guy who eagerly picked the ball up from the floor is no longer here. And maybe that will come. Maybe Reid will fill that role. Maybe it will be more of a collective effort.
Or maybe the Chiefs will miss that part.
