Tyrann Mathieu on Chiefs departure: I was 'heartbroken'

Tyrann Mathieu is hunting for a new team, but he clearly would not be if it were solely up to him.

Mathieu admitted he was “heartbroken” to leave the Kansas City Chiefs, and even said that he would have likely signed the same contract the team gave to Justin Reid instead.

“Bro, I was depressed,” Mathieu told Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star. “Heartbroken. Heart. Broken. I could not understand it. I could not, man.”

The Chiefs let Mathieu walk and signed Reid to a three-year, $31.5 million deal instead. Mathieu made the frank admission that he’d have likely signed that deal had the Chiefs offered it to him.

“To be honest, if they would’ve offered me Justin Reid’s deal, obviously I would’ve tried to negotiate, but if that’s where they drew their line in the sand, I probably would’ve took it,” Mathieu admitted.

That’s a frank admission from the 29-year-old safety, who became a stalwart and fan favorite in his three years in Kansas City. The door is certainly wide-open for Chiefs fans to question why the organization apparently preferred Reid over Mathieu, especially if Reid doesn’t perform.

As for Mathieu, he is attracting interest and has found the bright side of free agency. Still, he clearly would have preferred to avoid this entirely.