July 23: The Saints will get some minor cap savings from Mathieu’s retirement, per NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett. He agreed to a revised contract earlier this offseason with a $2.47MM signing bonus and a fully guaranteed $1.53MM salary. The latter will come off this year’s cap, while the former will be taken off of Mathieu’s 2026 dead money from his last contract.
July 22: Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu announced his retirement on social media (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport), ending the Honey Badger’s sterling 12-year career.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said that the team was informed of Mathieu’s decision in advance, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, but it still came as somewhat of a surprise. It also leaves the team without a starting safety with six weeks left until Week 1. Mathieu started every Saints game for the last three years.
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Loomis indicated that the Saints will explore adding a safety, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, but they may already have Mathieu’s replacement on the roster. It won’t be veteran offseason signing Justin Reid, as he was already expected to start this year. Instead, 2023 fifth-rounder Jordan Howden jumps out as the most likely candidate.
Though he has only logged 11 career starts, Howden played just under 50% of the Saints’ defensive snaps over the last two years, primarily as a free safety. That experience should put him in a strong position to start opposite Reid, though veterans J.T. Gray and Terrell Burgess will also be in the mix. A number of free agents safeties are also available, including former Saint Marcus Maye.
The Saints also drafted Virginia safety Jonas Sanker in the third round, a sign that they believe he can grow into an NFL starter. He will likely have a chance to compete for the starting job, but rookie safeties – even ones drafted on Day 2 – are rarely able to catch up to NFL speed and start right away.
Mathieu, meanwhile, will be enjoying retirement after 12 years, 180 appearances, 171 starts, and more than 11,000 snaps in the NFL. Despite an excellent college career at LSU, Mathieu fell to the third round in the 2013 draft due to size concerns. The Cardinals snagged him with the 69th overall pick, and he went on to finish fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Working regularly in the slot for the Cardinals in 2015, Mathieu earned a first-team All-Pro nod upon helping the team to a franchise-most 13 wins — and a run to the NFC championship game. The Cardinals gave Mathieu a five-year, $62.5MM extension in 2016; at the time, that deal made him the NFL’s highest-paid safety. The Cards cut bait on the deal two years in, as the safety market cratered in 2018. After a one-off in Houston, Mathieu made his way to Kansas City and sparked a midcareer turnaround.
Hours after Washington gave Landon Collins a $14MM-per-year deal to reignite the safety market, Kansas City matched it — as the team loaded up around Patrick Mahomes‘ rookie contract. Mathieu played an instrumental role in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV-winning season, justifying the team’s big-ticket payment. In 2020, Mathieu intercepted a career-high six passes and delivered his second straight first-team All-Pro season.
Despite Mathieu remaining a quality starter in 2021, the Chiefs let him walk as a 2022 free agent. They brought in Justin Reid as a cheaper alternative, redirecting Mathieu to the Saints (on a three-year, $27MM pact). New Orleans adjusted Mathieu’s deal twice, the second such change bringing a pay cut. Reid joined the Saints this offseason, but rather than finally align as a Mathieu teammate, the former Texans draftee will end up replacing him for a third time.
The LSU standout finishes his career with 36 interceptions, 11 sacks and seven forced fumbles. His work with the Cardinals and Chiefs spearheaded an All-Decade honor for the 2010s. Mathieu retires just shy of $100MM in career earnings, per OverTheCap, though that may change depending on how the Saints financially handle his retirement.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Great player, very entertaining player, and cool story of a guy who had behavioral issues in college growing into a noted team leader. You love to see it. Not a hall of famer, but a really good, really memorable player. I hope there’s a role for him in the game.
He made three pro bowls. I wouldn’t say great and he might not have gotten into a lot of trouble but he was still a moron.
Well, he went further in life then you have so maybe lay off him.
Based off of what? Because he has grown men defending him like they are lovers?
He was also three time AP 1st team All-Pro. I still remember and admire him for getting angry and vocal with his teammates and coaches during the 2020/21 SB loss to the Bucs. Whether the game was fixed in the Bucs favor or not, he wasnt about to surrender like it appeared the rest of the team did. I had that same weird feeling about the Chiefs last year in the SB. The team had no emotion or fire throughout the game until Mahomes got hot with Worthy.
remember when he lied about Tom Brady using a slur then deleted his tweet when he found out Brady was mic’d up?
Haven’t folowed him much since his Cardinal days, but he was a dynamic playmaker on those Arians teams.
Dam I feel sorry for the Saints qb retires and now the honey badger retires welp sorry Saint fans might as well. Look forward for next year. I’ll bet anybody right now that the Saints might win seven games who wants to put their money with their mouth is
The majority of the Saints roster is about to retire – and that is all Mickey Loomis fault. Think of all the big talented names on that roster – Demario Davis (36), Cameron Jordan (36), Taysom Hill (35). Now Mathieu, Carr, and Ramczyk all retired this offseason. The Saints never bothered to try to replace these guys with anyone of talent. Instead doubling down on trading picks and kicking money down the line. All of these guys names that I listed all carry the majority of their cap as well, even as dead cap. I mean Marshon Lattimore is even counting $32 million against their cap. $48 million for Carr and Ramczyk and they wouldn’t have even been on the roster for TWO seasons.
Lumis has lifetime job security as long as Benson is alive, so I guess he doesn’t care.
Honey Badger don’t care
One of top nick names all time imo
On the bright side, this probably helps their always terrible cap situation a little bit…
Good Luck Tyrann!
Solid career. Not a HOF but a fun player to watch.
Honey badger is a legend