Getty Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu speaks to the media prior to the 2020 Super Bowl.
With one month to go until the Kansas City Chiefs kick off training camp at Missouri Western State for the 11th time, one of the few remaining big moves left on the team’s to-do list is a contract extension for Tyrann Mathieu.
On Monday night, June 28, hopes were up across Chiefs Kingdom after Twitter user @J_Crocky posted an eye-opening update — which received over 1,000 likes in its first 12 hours on Twitter — after watching an Instagram Live video by the All-Pro safety.
Tyrann Mathieu just went live on Instagram and just said he’s “celebrating life and a new deal” 👀 #ChiefsKingdom
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While the video has yet to surface online after disappearing on Monday as soon as Mathieu ended the live stream to his more than 1.7 million followers, the Chiefs fan claims to have heard him tell a restaurant employee that he was “celebrating life and a new deal” while out to dinner with his family.
A screenshot from Mathieu’s Instagram story on Monday night confirms that he was at a restaurant, commenting “The biggest 7 EVA” on one photo of a dessert.
InstagramA screenshot of Tyrann Mathieu’s Instagram story from the night of June 28, 2021.
One possible explanation for the “celebrating life” half of Mathieu’s alleged comment could be the seventh birthday of his son, Tyrann Mathieu Jr., who according to Fan Buzz, was born in 2014. As for the “new deal” piece, the ninth-year pro has since addressed that on Twitter.
Mathieu Reveals New ‘Deal’ on Twitter
The social media stir around the Chiefs star continued on Tuesday, June 29, when another fan tweeted directly at Mathieu about the rumor.
“Yo @Mathieu_Era, I hope the rumor I hear is true! You earned it! 💵 💰 #chief4life #landlord #chiefs,” wrote @pdrobles.
Mathieu fanned the speculative flames — at least temporarily — by cryptically responding that he “signed a new landscape deal.”
@pdrobles1983 I signed a new landscape deal.
Of course, one of Mathieu’s nicknames is “The Landlord” so it remains unclear if the 29-year-old was serious or just trolling. As of writing, no formal contract announcement has been made by the Chiefs organization. Mathieu, who currently boasts the second-highest salary cap hit ($19.7 million) on the Chiefs’ roster in 2021, is set to play out the final season of the three-year, $42 million deal signed with Kansas City in March 2019.
Mathieu Can’t See Himself in ‘Any Other Uniform’
Despite a busy offseason for Kansas City, Mathieu’s contract has remained top of mind. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach acknowledged during his March 1 pre-draft press conference that, “We hope he’s secure with this organization for years to come.”
Mathieu caused another Twitter uproar on May 16 with a since-deleted tweet suggesting an extension is “probably not” happening, though he later told fans not to read too much into his social media comments as he frequently deletes tweets.
Asked Tyrann Mathieu about the tweet. “I delete a lot of tweets.” Said “if I’m a fan, I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on that.”
The safety’s latest comments from mandatory minicamp provided possibly the most optimistic outlook on the situation to date, however.
“I can’t see me wearing any other uniform,” Mathieu told reporters on June 17.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!