Former Saints Star Open To NFL Return With Chiefs

The New Orleans Saints lost star safety Tyrann Mathieu this past offseason as he opted to retire after three seasons in New Orleans and 12 seasons overall in the National Football League.

New Orleans had to regroup at safety afterward and one way the team attempted to do so was by signing Julian Blackmon, but he only was able to play one game before he got injured. Fortunately, the Saints also signed Justin Reid this past offseason and rookie Jonas Sanker has also stepped up for the franchise.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Things would've been a bit easier in the secondary if Mathieu hadn't retired, but that's going to happen. It's a difficult decision and at the time, it was the right one for the three-time All-Pro. While that was the case in the offseason, it sounds like he may be at least open to the idea of a return to the NFL.

Mathieu joined Kay Adams on "Up & Adams" on Monday and was asked about the idea of returning and sounded open to the idea, specifically when asked about the idea of returning to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Will Tyrann Mathieu return to the NFL?

Dec 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock (2) throws the ball as New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) pursues during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"I'm not going to say no," Mathieu said when asked if he would return to the Chiefs. "I won't say no...I've stayed in contact with obviously (general manager Brett Veach) but mostly Coach Reid. His grandson actually plays on the football team with my son, so, it's all the family."

Adams followed up and asked why Mathieu sounds more open to the idea now about an NFL return than he was earlier in the season.

"It's the fact that you want to help your friends, you know what I mean? You want your friends to have like a fighting chance. I know fans hit me up all the time on Twitter, X, they want be to come back. Mostly they want me to come back just to provide that energy, that attitude. I think we're just missing some of that."

If Mathieu were to come out of retirement, it would make more sense to do so for a team fighting for a playoff spot than a team that is 2-10 at this point. This very well could just be noise in the media, but something to monitor moving forward.

More NFL: Ex-Saints Star Tyrann Mathieu Opens Door To NFL Comeback