Chiefs headlines for Wednesday, July 23
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Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu retiring after 12 seasons | NFL.com
In a late-July surprise, Tyrann Mathieu is calling it a career.
The decorated safety is retiring after 12 NFL seasons, the Saints announced Tuesday.
Although he compiled an underwhelming 2024 season, the 33-year-old safety was expected to fill one half of a headline-grabbing safety tandem (with former teammate Justin Reid) in the back end of New Orleans’ defense in 2025. Instead, the Louisiana native is walking away from a Saints team that finds itself in a transitional period after changing coaches in early 2025.
“I’m a little surprised but we had some advanced notice,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Tuesday. “Just have so much respect for Tyrann and what he’s accomplished. I mean, he’s a legendary Louisiana player, legendary NFL player. Really appreciate his time with us. He was fantastic. … What a great career.”
Tuesday’s news brings an end to a career that began with uncertainty but lasted a dozen years and included plenty of deserved accolades. Mathieu’s career took on a nomadic appearance, but he contributed at every stop along his journey. He earned three first-team All-Pro selections and three Pro Bowl nods over the course of his 12 NFL seasons, won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs and landed on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s, a strong indicator he’ll receive his own place in Canton in the future.
LEFT TACKLE
The common denominator in Kansas City’s two Super Bowl losses over the past five seasons: porous offensive line play. Like we saw from the Chiefs in 2021, this offseason brought a revamp. K.C. signed Moore, drafted Simmons and kicked Kingsley Suamataia inside after he struggled mightily at tackle as a rookie. Suamataia will have to outplay Mike Caliendo for the left guard spot, but the most intriguing battle comes at LT. Ideally, Simmons runs away with starting job and anchors Patrick Mahomes’ blind side for the next decade. Simmons was a top-10 talent but slipped to the end of Round 1 due to a patellar tendon injury suffered at Ohio State. If he’s healthy, K.C. got a steal — not starting out camp on an injury list is a positive sign. However, as the Chiefs found out last year, starting a rookie at left tackle can come with risks. First, Simmons must prove healthy. Then he needs to beat out Moore, the 27-year-old who played a swing-tackle role in San Francisco over the past four seasons, starting just 12 games in his pro career, including five in 2024. The lack of steady reps makes Moore a projection as a full-time starter. He could also slide in on the right side if Jawaan Taylor (PUP list) takes longer to recover from a knee injury than anticipated or suffers a setback.
THE PICK: Simmons. The Chiefs will ride their first-round pick so long as he remains healthy.
In the same vein as Josh Allen earlier, when it comes to pinpointing a reason for optimism with the Kansas City Chiefs, it seems silly not to simply mention Mahomes. So long as he’s healthy, they are firmly in the Super Bowl mix. Fortunately for the future Hall of Famer, the Chiefs did make necessary moves this offseason to keep him upright, adding offensive tackles Jaylon Moore in free agency and Josh Simmons in the first round of the NFL Draft. If Mahomes isn’t running for his life like he was during Super Bowl LIX and is afforded just some time to throw, Kansas City will likely find itself hosting the AFC Championship.
2025 NFL training camp previews, projections for all 32 teams | ESPN
Biggest storyline: Can rookie Josh Simmons solve the Chiefs’ long-standing problem at left tackle? The Chiefs spent their first-round pick on Simmons believing he can.
Patrick Mahomes was sacked more times last year (36) than in any other season. The Chiefs tried four different left tackles, benching the first three for poor play, but never got consistent play at the position. Simmons is coming off a torn patellar injury but was participating during offseason practice, and the Chiefs were confident he would be ready for full contact during training camp. The Chiefs signed free agent Jaylon Moore to handle the position if Simmons can’t. — Adam Teicher
Around the NFL
Hendrickson won’t report to Bengals camp amid contract stalemate | ESPN
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson will not report with the rest of the team’s veterans Tuesday, he told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The development comes one day before the Bengals will start their training camp in downtown Cincinnati.
The four-time Pro Bowl selection has not participated in any team activities since the end of last season, in which he led the NFL with 17.5 sacks and was named an All-Pro selection. Hendrickson is seeking a long-term deal as he enters the final year of his current contract.
The dispute, according to Schefter, is that the Bengals are not willing to give him guaranteed money past the first year. That is something that has been given to other prominent edge rushers who signed deals this offseason — the Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett, Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby and Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt, who most recently signed an extension.
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Quarterbacks (2): Patrick Mahomes, Gardner Minshew
The league’s top quarterback will have his fourth backup in as many seasons: journeyman Gardner Minshew. He arrives in Kansas City with plenty of experience, having started 46 games over his six-year NFL career. Chris Oladokun and Bailey Zappe are expected to compete for the team’s third-string position on the practice squad.
Running backs (4): Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Carson Steele, Brashard Smith
The running back room may be a little trickier than advertised, as I see the only true locks at the top and bottom. Isiah Pacheco added more weight for his contract season, while rookie Brashard Smith projects to be a gadget piece while starting at one of the returner positions.
Quietly, free-agent running back Elijah Mitchell signed for a greater signing bonus and guaranteed money than Kareem Hunt — but my resistance in following that trail comes from Mitchell’s historical lack of durability. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub seems to have a plan for Carson Steele, and he lined up 55 times as a fullback during the 2024 regular season.
Social media to make you think
Tyrann Mathieu has announced his retirement from the @NFL pic.twitter.com/QgjgYAnOUu
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 22, 2025
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