The Kansas City Chiefs have announced their team MVP for the 2021 NFL season.
The award is aptly named after Chiefs legend Derrick Thomas, a perennial standout defender and one of the best pass rushers in NFL history who tragically passed away in 2000. The latest player bestowed this award is none other than Tyrann Mathieu, who is taking home his second Derrick Thomas MVP Award in his three seasons with the team. He earned his first following the team’s Super Bowl-winning season in 2019, which was his first on the team. He now becomes the seventh Chiefs player to win the award multiple times, joining Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry, Priest Holmes, Trent Green, Marcus Allen and Thomas as the only players to accomplish that feat.
Mathieu started in 16 games during the 2021 regular season, recording 76 total tackles (tied for second-most on the team), one sack, three fumble recoveries (most on the team), one tackle for loss, six passed defended, three interceptions (most on the team) and one defensive touchdown. The defense saw its challenges this season, but Mathieu remained steadfast in his production and on-field leadership.
Ladies & Gentlemen, this season's Derrick Thomas MVP Award winner 🏆 pic.twitter.com/8m7sGkTuM3
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 15, 2022
Mathieu’s exemplary performance on and off the field earned him the team’s nomination for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Fans voted him as the Nationwide Walter Payton Man of the Year Charity Challenge winner.
The veteran goes into the 2022 NFL offseason with questions about his future with the team as a pending free agent. That said, there are no questions about the type of player that he’s been during his time in Kansas City.
