Tyrann Mathieu left KC for New Orleans, but he hasn’t left the Chiefs’ locker room

Some 15 minutes before the start of every practice, a delegation of Chiefs defensive backs leaves the locker room, walks outside and follows the steps to the field.

The grass surface is otherwise vacated before they arrive, which is the essence of the idea — equal parts punctuality and symbolism.

Well, it’s not their idea, to be clear. They are extending a first-to-practice tradition, passed down for several years, or at least long enough that no one taking part in it today was actually here for its origin.

Which is?

“That was really established,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said, “with Tyrann all the way back.”

Tyrann Mathieu.

It was six seasons ago that the Chiefs made one of the best free agent signings in their franchise’s history. I could point to the Super Bowl that broke a half-century championship drought, or the two All-Pro selections or the two Pro Bowl nominations as evidence for that take.. Mathieu accomplished plenty during his three-year stint in Kansas City.

Nothing, though, is more salient than what remained after he left.

“A lot of the traditions he set,” said Chiefs cornerback Joshua Williams, who never even played with Mathieu, “they’re still here.”

At last, Mathieu himself will be here once more.

He will return to Kansas City as a member of the Saints for Monday Night Football, his first trip to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium as a visitor since the Chiefs elected to move on from the relationship after the 2022 season.

That decision by the Chiefs broke Mathieu’s heart — his words to me then — but he’s been plenty productive into his early 30s in New Orleans, the town that molded him as person as much as a player.

Both had impact in Kansas City.

Have, actually.

Present tense.

That is the proof of his singularity. There have been a considerable number of players part of this dynasty — only three have started all three Super Bowl victories, if that gives you an idea of the turnover — but the nature of the business compels teams to move on. It’s rare that so much of a personality stays behind.

Mathieu’s fingerprints are still everywhere in the room. He purposefully set examples for young players when he was in here in KC. They just as purposefully still use the examples, even after he’s gone.

There was a moment last month when Spagnuolo attempted to explain a coverage concept to his defense, when he thought better of using words. Why not show the coverage in application? Spagnuolo flipped on the film.

Onto the screen, there he was: Mathieu.

“We always go through his old tapes, and how a technique was played or the way someone played a route,” Williams said. “He definitely shows up.”

That’s the player.

Then there’s the person.

The Chiefs had the 31st-ranked defense the year before his signing in 2019, so it was natural to use some salary cap space to refurbish the defense. But in his second full offseason, general manager Brett Veach made a point to change not only the talent inside the room, but its culture.

That led him to Mathieu.

That offseason, before he’d even played a game, Mathieu carried the loudest voice on the field. He sat in the front row during the meetings. He hosted weekly gatherings at his house, hoping it would build chemistry.

A player who had all of one career playoff win boasted of championship swagger, a slogan stamped onto T-shirts and hung in cubicles in the locker room.

And, oh, yeah, the Chiefs got good. The defense allowed only 11.5 points per game over the back half of the season. A complete shift in performance was preceded by the complete shift in attitude and leadership.

There’s not a statistic I can offer to measure that consequence.

But I can say that measurement is ongoing. That’s the import.

“I think me being a young player when he got here, just seeing the type of leader — I think it was something that I will forever remember,” Mahomes said. “The way he inspired guys, the energy that he played with — I mean, obviously he is a great football player; everybody can see that — but he is truly a great leader. One of the best leaders I’ve ever been around.”

Linebacker Nick Bolton came from the draft in 2021, and it was pretty evident early on that the Chiefs were going to use him a lot. But honestly? He was swimming. Spagnuolo runs a complicated defense, among the most complicated in the league, and within a week or so of his first training camp, the Chiefs lost three linebackers to injury.

Bolton? Go get ‘em, kid. All yours.

It was Mathieu who pulled him aside, and while there was some rah-rah to his speech, it’s the substance that stuck. Bolton thought he had started to get a grasp of the playbook, but it was a memorization exercise. A crash study, of sorts.

Lost in that exercise was the answer to a simple question: Why?

“Tyrann helped me get through a lot,” Bolton said. “Coming from college, I’m not going to really understand why we did things. ... As a defensive player, it helps you play faster (and with) a clear mind when you understand the reasons why. I think that was a huge part.”

It came from Mathieu.

And now it comes from Bolton.

That’s another piece that stuck around. Bolton’s memory of his own whirlwind, and the recognition that those who follow are probably experiencing the same, drove him to take over that professor role.

“I try to break down and give people the rhyme or reasons as well,” he said. “I feel like I learned a lot from (him). And, ultimately, that guy’s a true pro. I strive to be like that.”

It’s fitting, in that case, that Bolton wears No. 32, the same number Mathieu wore in KC. He’s still emulating what he learned years ago. Last year, when the Chiefs traveled to New Orleans for the preseason, he and Mathieu exchanged jerseys. The black and gold uniform top is hanging in Bolton’s basement in his Arizona home.

No. 32.

But the impact is on others, as well. Like No. 15.

Mahomes’ locker used to sit across from Mathieu’s inside the Chiefs’ practice facility. They led opposite teams, in some respects, Mahomes the offense and Mathieu the defense.

“He pushed to get the best out of every single play. He treated practice like games. He tried to get better every single day,” Mahomes said. “And that’s something that has helped me become who I am.”

That’s the legacy.

And there are few better compliments for a player’s influence than this: It has outlasted his presence.

Mathieu has been for three years now. He isn’t part of the part of the Chiefs’ locker room in the literal sense.

But you’ll find him everywhere.