The business side of the NFL is ruthless and cutthroat. No one is safe from the perils that come with the daily decision-making franchises face.

But that doesn't stop the human element from factoring into everything. Everyone involved -from the general manager all the way down to last guy added to the practice squad- typically forms some kind of bond during their time together. Oftentimes, those bonds span entire lifetimes.

Bonds are even formed between players and the franchises they play for. It's not quid pro quo all of the time. Football players are loyal in nature, like all athletes. So it makes sense for them to have the desire to be an "enter name here for life" when their name is called on draft day or when they sign their new deal.

And to go a step further: Players, especially ones who stay with a franchise for an extended period of time, root themselves and their families within the community. They develop relationships with people outside the NFL world and their spouses, partners, and kids do, as well.

Which is why it's tough to hear Tyrann Mathieu talk about his split with the Chiefs in a recent interview with The Kansas City Star.

“Bro, I was depressed,” Mathieu explained to the interviewer, Sam McDowell, about the whole process. “Heartbroken. Heart. Broken.

“I could not understand it. I could not, man.”

From an outside perspective, it was surprising to see the Chiefs and Mathieu part ways. He's a perfect fit for Steve Spagnuolo's defense and has been a key leader on the team for the last three seasons.

It wasn't a surprise to Mathieu, however, because he had known since summer of 2021 that the split was coming. Apparently, his agents had limited conversations with the Chiefs, which signaled the beginning of the end.

And it even affected his play on the field.

“I just knew," Mathieu said. "Everything I was working for, man. Every day I wake up trying to make the Chiefs better, trying to make the community better. I’m just working toward that knowing that there’s an end date. There’s an expiration date to that.”

"I knew the Chiefs weren’t going to sign me, and I woke up every day with that on my mind," Mathieu explained. "I knew I wanted to get another contract. You work toward all those things. You take that (stuff) serious. That’s the only reason I was able to do what I did — because I took it serious. I care that much. …

"I think I was just caught in that space where I was trying to prove myself to everybody — especially when I realized I wasn’t signing. That carried throughout the season. I was just in a bad, bad space.”

Mathieu says he "probably" would've taken the deal KC gave Justin Reid

Arguably the biggest takeaway from the interview is Mathieu's comments on Reid's deal with the Chiefs. Reid signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal with the Chiefs the day after free agency started. That's pretty surprising considering Mathieu made $14 million per year with the Chiefs in his prior deal.

That's a pay cut worth around $3.5 million per year. You don't see many players in the NFL under the age of 30 with Mathieu's pedigree willing to do that.

“To be honest,” Mathieu says, “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. 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.”

There's probably truth to Mathieu's statement, but it's also easy to say that in hindsight. However, it doesn't do much to dispel the feeling that KC didn't really want Mathieu around, anymore. And honestly, that's what bugs him the most.

It's unclear as to why the Chiefs didn't want him – if that's truly the case. Maybe the down year was enough for them to look elsewhere. But that wouldn't make much sense if interest in a new deal was already low before the 2021 season started. And of course, there's always the possibility there is more than what Mathieu gave, too.

Mathieu can turn this experience into a positive, however

In true NFL veteran fashion, this entire experience can turn Mathieu into an even better player than he already is. Which is a pretty scary thought for the other 31 teams that don't end up signing him.

He can turn this into a chip on his shoulder, re-focus (which he seems to be doing this offseason), get in shape, and then ball out.

That's how the greats do it. And Mathieu is one of them.

“As heartbroken as I am, and I’m talking about real heartbroken, I’m grateful,” said Mathieu. “I’m grateful to play at the level I did. I’m grateful to develop some strong relationships with some good people — players and coaches who still texted me just this morning.”

Based off that comment, it looks like he's already on his way to doing so.

You can read The Star's full interview with Mathieu, here.

Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports