04-08-2022, 10:39 AM
(04-08-2022, 08:16 AM)Bengalbug Wrote: Sounds like he would have taken a 3 year 31.5m deal. Bring him in, rescind bates. Move on.
“Mathieu became a free agent last month and remains unsigned after the Chiefs opted to add safety Justin Reid on a three-year, $31.5 million deal. In an interview with Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star, Mathieu said he was “heartbroken” that the Chiefs didn’t offer him a contract and “could not understand” why that was the case.
Mathieu also said that he would have likely accepted the same offer that the Chiefs made to Reid.
“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 said. “I probably would’ve took it. Agents are going to do their thing, but at the end of the day, it’s the player’s decision whether to sign it or not.””
They aren't the same player/position. Mathieu plays more of a hybrid strong safety/slot while Bates plays free safety as a center fielder. Mathieu only lined up as a FS on roughly 30% of his snaps whereas Bates does it about 70% of the time, it's not a plug and play move.
