GLENDALE — Having a role in important games isn’t foreign to Matt Bushman, especially in Arizona.
The Tucson native played in plenty of them as a three-sport star (football, basketball and baseball) at Sabino High School, then as a star tight end for BYU during Bushman’s homecoming in 2018 against the hometown Arizona Wildcats.
Even though Bushman, who is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad, likely won’t check into the game during Super Bowl 57 at State Farm Stadium on Sunday when the Chiefs battle the NFC’s top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles, having a hand in Super Bowl prep is “a lot to take in,” he said.
“I have a lot of gratitude,” Bushman said during the Super Bowl’s opening-night event earlier this week. “You hope that you can make it back here again, but you never know what can happen. I’m just super grateful to be here.”
Following an illustrious career at Sabino, Bushman garnered offers to play baseball and football in college. He then took a two-year Latter-day Saints church mission to Santiago, Chile, after graduating from Sabino in 2014.
Bushman played both baseball and football as a true freshman at BYU. Eventually, his focus eventually shifted to football, where he put up 125 catches and 1,719 yards in three seasons with the Cougars. After flirting with entering the NFL draft, Bushman returned for a senior season as a top pass-catcher for BYU’s offense, which was led by future New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson.
What could have been will remain a mystery, as a ruptured Achilles’ tendon suffered in practice ended Bushman’s season before it began. The injury likely played a part in Bushman going undrafted. He eventually signed as a free agent with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021. He was a part of the practice squad for a couple of months before being released. He signed with the Chiefs at the beginning of 2022.
Tight end Matt Bushman, who’s from Tucson, scored a pair of touchdowns for the Chiefs during an exhibition game against the Packers on Aug. 25, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo.
The injury bug didn’t stop there. Bushman had three catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns in a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers before suffering a fractured clavicle. He was waived by the team, signed and placed on injured reserve, released again and eventually re-signed to the practice squad in late December.
Bushman, however, doesn’t play the what-if game.
“There are things where you can wonder if this didn’t happen, where would I be at? But you can’t focus or dwell on those too much,” he said. “I’m grateful that I’ve got my foot in the door and I’m still playing even after I got injured a few times. I just want to play my best football as long as I’m here.”
Although he isn’t likely to be on the active roster Sunday, Bushman still plays a big part in preparation for the Chiefs. He goes to the meetings, and if something were to happen where he needed to be elevated off the practice squad, he is ready to go. Bushman also is playing the role of Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert in practice.
Bushman is not the only Tucson product making his way in the league. Tucson High graduate Levi Wallace had four interceptions with the Pittsburgh Steelers this year, while Mountain View grad and former Arizona Wildcat Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles was a standout special-teams player for the San Francisco 49ers. Former Salpointe Lancer Bijan Robinson will join that list next season, as he projects to be a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
“It’s cool just knowing there are guys (from when) I played at Sabino that can say, ‘Hey, it’s possible to make it to the NFL. Matt Bushman did it.’ “ he said. “Proving to the younger generations and kids that it’s possible is one of the reasons why you want to do it. I love just reconnecting with high school coaches, just knowing they still keep tabs on me, and I want to be a good example.”
As Bushman reflects on his career and how he got to this point, he also understands just how different the NFL is compared to any other level of football.
“The biggest thing is you realize how detailed you have to be,” he said. “With every play, there are so many adjustments pre- and post-snap, so you have to prepare throughout the week. Come game day, it slows down for you.”
It doesn’t hurt that he has Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce to learn from.
“With those guys and some on the defense, there is a reason why they’re great,” Bushman said. “They really prepare and put in the mental work.”
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