The Kansas City Chiefs have already had an eventful offseason, making a series of moves to start free agency designed to fill clear holes on the roster and allow the front office to chase the best player available in the 2025 NFL Draft.
This secondary has already undergone major changes based on the unexpected signing of former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Kristian Fulton, and it appears that safety Justin Reid will be on a new team next season.
If that's the case, Reid would follow the trajectory of ex-Chief Tyrann Mathieu. In a big announcement on Tuesday, Mathieu is reportedly taking a major pay cut to stay with the New Orleans Saints.
Former Chiefs S Tyrann Mathieu Takes Big Pay Cut to Stay With Saints
According to Saints insider Nick Underhill, Mathieu agreed to a reworked deal to stay with New Orleans on Tuesday. His original cap hit was north of $11 million, though he'll now be paid up to $7.2 million based on incentives.
The beloved former Chiefs captain has spent his last three seasons with the Saints, starting all 17 games in every season as a perfect example of consistency and durability. His personality is still missed in Kansas City, yet it's hard to argue that general manager Brett Veach made a mistake in letting him go.
A three-time All-Pro, Mathieu is one of the more influential players of his generation, dating back to his time as a star in college at LSU. He'll be 33 years old before next season, though, and unfortunately, his days as an impact player are nearing a close.
That's what makes this an interesting deal. Mathieu isn't worth over $11 million purely from a production standpoint, yet he's still a bona fide leader with plenty of experience in winning situations. He'll always be fondly remembered for his contributions to the first Super Bowl of the Patrick Mahomes era, but it was wise to let him walk when the Chiefs did.
No matter what happens, Chiefs Kingdom wishes the Honey Badger the best and hopes he can carve out as long of a career as possible.