Tyrann Mathieu pays ultimate compliment to 1 AFC QB

Tyrann Mathieu has seen plenty of quarterbacks during his time in the NFL, but it’s not often the veteran safety gives one of them the highest compliment possible.

Mathieu had very high praise for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in a recent interview with The Jordy Culotta Show. Mathieu went as far as to compare Burrow to Tom Brady in terms of poise and composure after Burrow led the Bengals to two comeback wins over Mathieu’s Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.

“I knew his mental makeup, but to be on the field with him and experience it in real time, it makes you experience it more,” Mathieu said, via James Rapien of SI. “He doesn’t flinch. You gotta remember, both of the times we played them we were up. The first time we played them we were up 21-7. Then the second time we played them we were up 21-3. That’s championship composure.

“It was tough to stop Joe. The league is built for guys like Joe and Ja’Marr (Chase). When you piece together the mental and smarts of the game, he will be doing that for a long time. I see a lot of (Tom) Brady in him. He doesn’t flinch.”

That’s very high praise, but Burrow has been getting a lot of it since guiding the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance. One of Brady’s favorite teammates has even taken notice of Burrow, so the Bengals quarterback is clearly doing something right.

Photo: Feb 3, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) during AFC practice for the Pro Bowl at Las Vegas Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports