A pair of Kansas City Chiefs defenders were asked to think about their future in the immediate aftermath of their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Since joining the team as a free agent in 2019, Chiefs S Tyrann Mathieu has been the unquestioned leader on the defensive side of the ball. He’s been productive with 13 interceptions and 27 passes defended over the course of three seasons. Many consider him the heart and soul of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.

As a pending free agent in 2022, there have been questions about whether he’ll be re-signed throughout the course of the 2021 NFL season. Mathieu has remained steadfast in his desire to play out the rest of his career in Kansas City. The Chiefs have expressed optimism that a deal will get done in the offseason.

Asked about his eagerness to stay in Kansas City, Mathieu got emotional before explaining where he stands on his return.

“I mean, I hope so,” Mathieu said with tears in his eyes. “Ever since I came here, I’ve just tried to be the right kind of teammate. I’ve tried to play my part and you know, obviously, there’s always that feeling that you could make more plays for your team. But I’m hoping it works out. I don’t have any control over that. I feel like everything that was in my control, I tried my best to handle it and to do it with a smile. I love this team and I love this locker room. There’s a lot of coaches that I have great relationships with. So I’m hoping, yeah.”

Frank Clark, who joined the team via trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2019, faces a different end of the business in Kansas City.

Performance has been an issue with Clark, who put up just 4.5 sacks this season as the highest-paid defender on the team. He remains under contract through the 2023 NFL season and is due over $26 million in salary cap next year. Releasing Clark as a post-June 1 cut could save the Chiefs $19.5 million in cap space.

Asked about his optimism level that he’ll be with Kansas City next season, Clark expressed his desire to be here in 2022, but he recognized that business in the NFL doesn’t always work like that.

“Man, Kansas City is my home,” Clark said. “I bought a house here. My daughter goes to school and stuff like that here. It’s home, man. I want to be here for the future, for the rest of my career. But like you said, unfortunately, the way business goes, things don’t happen the way that you want them to happen all the time.”

Ultimately, Brett Veach will have some tough decisions to make this offseason, including the fate of both Mathieu and Clark.