Tyrann Mathieu and the Kansas City Chiefs fell apart in the second half of the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals. They led by as many as 18 points in the game but would end up losing 27-24 in overtime, as it will be Cincinnati heading to the Super Bowl in two weeks in Los Angeles.
Now, the Chiefs’ attention will turn to the offseason, as they will look to upgrade the roster in hope of making it back to the Super Bowl next year. One of their most important tasks this offseason will be retaining safety, Tyrann Mathieu.
Mathieu is one of the premier safeties in the league, lauded for his versatility. He lines up all over the field and is a gamechanger at every spot. Earlier in his career, durability was an issue but that has been put behind Mathieu, who averages over 1,000 defensive snaps the last five seasons.
Losing Mathieu would deliver a huge blow to Kansas City’s defense. He is likely to garner a lot of attention in free agency, as virtually every team would love to add a safety of his caliber to the mix.
Who could be in the mix for the former LSU standout? Here are three potential destinations for Mathieu in free agency.
3. Washington Football Team
There will be a lot of focus on the quarterback position for the Washington Football team this offseason. With improved quarterback play, there is a chance they are right back in the playoff mix once again in 2022.
But, the team could also use some help at the back end of their defense at safety. Washington has an excellent front seven, and adding someone such as Tyrann Mathieu to the mix behind them could make this defense downright terrifying to face every week.
His experience as a winner would also help in Washington, where they haven’t had sustained success in a long time. It has been 30 years since they made consecutive trips to the postseason.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles made some major strides during the 2021 season. After the embarrassing end to the 2020 campaign, the Eagles bounced back to make the playoffs this season.
Philadelphia was handled easily by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it was still an encouraging first season for Nick Sirianni. If they want to sustain that success, making some upgrades defensively would be smart.
The Eagles have both of their starting safeties from this season, Anthony Harris and Rodney McLeod hitting free agency. They both registered grades under 65, so upgrading them with Mathieu would be a good move.
Philadelphia would have one of the best secondary duos with Mathieu joining star cornerback Darius Slay.
1. Baltimore Ravens
When Mathieu was made available for a trade back in 2019 by the Houston Texans, one of the teams that showed interest was the Baltimore Ravens. Now that Mathieu is hitting free agency, the Ravens should have interest once again.
His playmaking ability is exactly what Baltimore could use at the safety position. Chuck Clark hasn’t been bad by any means, but he isn’t Mathieu.
Trent McDuffie of Washington, who is one of the most versatile defensive prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft class, has landed with the Ravens in numerous mock drafts. Their plans could change for the first round if they can land Mathieu in free agency.
