HEADLINES

Tyrann Mathieu

Cardinals Notes: Jones, Fitzgerald, Mathieu

August 6th, 2016 at 6:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals enjoyed an eventful week from a long-term planning perspective, reaching a lucrative extension with Tyrann Mathieu and following that up with smaller-scale extensions for Larry Fitzgerald and Carson Palmer. Up next on Arizona’s deal docket: Chandler Jones?

The recently acquired pass-rusher will be Steve Keim‘s next target for an extension, Ed Werder of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). A former first-round pick, Jones cost the Cardinals a second-round pick and underwhelming former first-round guard Jonathan Cooper in the March trade with the Patriots, who had a glut of 2017 expiring contracts.

Jones stands to play this season on a fifth-year option of $7.799MM. It would cost upwards of $14MM for the Cardinals to place the franchise tag on him next spring. On the heels of his first Pro Bowl and registering a career-high 12.5 sacks last season, Jones would stand to be one of the most sought-after free agents if he reaches the market.

Here’s some more coming out of the desert.

  • Fitzgerald’s extension that allots an $11MM payment to the standout wideout in 2017 is guaranteed for injury only, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This does not ensure the 32-year-old wide receiver will play for the Cardinals in ’17, which would be his 14th season, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk calling this extension a “free disability policy” for the longtime Arizona pass-catcher. Florio offers that this extension helps the defending NFC West champions avoid the distraction of having one of the best players in franchise history play on an expiring contract this season.
  • Mathieu’s contract calls for the fourth-year defensive back to make $1MM in base salary this season, with bases of $4.75MM, $5.75MM, $5.75MM, $10.75MM and $9.25MM from 2017-21, Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports (on Twitter). Underhill reports $35MM of this uniquely crafted contract is guaranteed.
  • The Cardinals took care of Mathieu despite his injuries, enough so that OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald does not categorize this as a two-pronged agreement. He points out the Cardinals giving him substantially more money than the league’s previous highest-paid safety, Harrison Smith, shows they valued him as a cornerback as well rather than just a safety. Mathieu will make $42MM by 2019 on this extension compared to Smith’s $32MM at that point, and the two top-level safeties’ structures separate further by 2020, when Mathieu’s deal will surpass the $53MM mark compared to Smith’s $41MM by that point. His payments are much closer to the likes of Richard Sherman or teammate Patrick Peterson, as Fitzgerald shows.
  • Calais Campbell hopes his contract will be addressed soon. The 29-year-old defensive end is in the final season of a five-year, $55MM deal.

Cardinals Sign Tyrann Mathieu To Extension

August 3rd, 2016 at 4:19pm CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 4:20pm: The Cardinals confirmed the extension, via the team’s Twitter account.

TUESDAY, 8:56pm: The Cardinals and Tyrann Mathieu have agreed to a five-year contract extension that makes him the highest-paid safety in the NFL and locks him up through the 2021 campaign. When all is said and done, the five-year deal will be worth $62.5MM and contain $21.25MM fully guaranteed. The guarantees are comprised of a $15,5MM signing bonus, a $1MM 2016 base salary, and a $4.75MM 2017 base salary.

This offseason, Arizona was gearing up to make Mathieu the highest-paid safety in the league and they did just that today. Previously, the Chiefs’ Eric Berry set the watermark in terms of AAV thanks to his franchise tender for 2016. Vikings safety Harrison Smith, who recently signed an extension that pays him $10.25MM per season, was briefly the runner-up for annual compensation at the position and No. 1 in terms of overall value. Now, Mathieu is your new leader in both AAV and overall compensation for safeties with a $12MM AAV and an overall deal which should come in at $60MM+. Mathieu also spends a great deal of time at cornerback and it should be noted that an $12MM/year average annual value would rank eighth among CBs.

“I just want to get paid as a top defender,” said Mathieu. “I don’t want to be slotted as a corner or a safety, because I’m not Patrick Peterson and I’m not Earl Thomas. I’m kind of different than both of those guys, but I still have the same type of impact on the game as those guys do. I just want to be paid as a top defender, and however that looks on paper, that’s what I want.” told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com recently. “I don’t want to be slotted as a corner or a safety, because I’m not Patrick Peterson and I’m not Earl Thomas. I’m kind of different than both of those guys, but I still have the same type of impact on the game as those guys do. I just want to be paid as a top defender, and however that looks on paper, that’s what I want.”

In 2015, Mathieu earned a Pro Bowl selection and was named first-team All Pro. In his 14 games, Mathieu recorded five interceptions, 89 tackles, one sack, 17 passes defensed, and graded out as the No. 1 cornerback in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) first reported the agreement and its terms. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported the financial details and structure. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Reaction To Tyrann Mathieu’s Extension

August 2nd, 2016 at 8:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After months of negotiation, the Cardinals and defensive back Tyrann Mathieu agreed today on the terms of a five-year, $62.5MM extension that contains $40MM guaranteed. Of course, that $40MM figure is unlikely to refer to full guarantees, as the current leader in that metric among safeties — the Patriots’ Devin McCourty — only secured $22MM fully guaranteed. Still, the average annual value of the deal indicates that it’s possibly market-shifting, and it engendered quite a bit of reaction. Let’s take a look at some of the responses to Mathieu’s brand new contract:

  • The Cardinals have apparently worked injury protection into the deal, presumably adding language that would protect the club in the event that Mathieu suffers another major injury, according to Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 (Twitter link). Mathieu, of course, has torn an ACL in two of his first three seasons in the league, so it’s understandable that Arizona wants to guard itself.
  • Mathieu’s extension pays him $12.5MM annually, and that figure — which is between the top of the cornerback and safety markets — makes sense because Matheiu shifts between both positions, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. Mathieu’s versatility, to be sure, makes his deal a bit difficult to evaluate since he spends much of his time in the slot.
  • Now that he’s earning that $12.5MM annual salary, Mathieu has surpassed the Vikings’ Harrison Smith to become the NFL’s highest-paid safety, and Mathieu’s average is also $1.7MM more than Eric Berry will make if he signs his franchise tag with the Chiefs, details Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (all Twitter links), who adds that the Cardinals are placing a lot of faith in Mathieu considering his aforementioned injury history.
  • The Cardinals value Mathieu because he’s able to target specific offensive weapons, as Matt Bowen of ESPN Insider writes (subscription required). Mathieu can “dictate matchups,” according to Bowen, lining up against either a slot receiver or a tight end, or instead playing near the line to stop the run or blitz off the edge.
  • Risk is built into Mathieu’s new deal because of his lengthy injury past, but Arizona isn’t afraid to take a gamble, as evidenced by the fact that it drafted Mathieu in the first place, opine Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Mathieu is perhaps the msot valuable piece on a Cardinals defense that includes All Pro Patrick Peterson, and the club suffered immensely after Mathieu went down late last season.

NFC West Notes: 49ers, Ramsey, Davis

July 28th, 2016 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

49ers defensive lineman Kaleb Ramsey retired from football today, as Cam Inman of The Mercury News writes. Ramsey, a draft pick of the 49ers in 2014, was sidelined for all of his rookie year with an Achilles injury. In 2015, he was on San Francisco’s practice squad and was also hit with a four-game suspension for a PED violation.

“The 49ers took a chance on drafting me and made my NFL dreams come true,” Ramsey said in a statement. “Unfortunately, my career has been cut short, as I have made the decision to step away from the game to concentrate on other priorities in my life.”

As shown on Roster Resource, Ramsey would have faced an uphill battle to make the Niners’ roster given the number of defensive linemen they have under contract.

Here’s more out of the NFC West:

  • Safety Tyrann Mathieu took to Twitter earlier this week and seemed to express frustration at the state of his contract talks with the Cardinals (sic). “Money mean nothing, I want my respect,” Mathieu tweeted. Recently, Cardinals GM Steve Keim expressed optimism about getting a deal done with the player formerly known as Honey Badger.
  • Anthony Davis has been taking jabs at the 49ers for the better part of a year now, but agent Drew Rosenhaus says all of the animosity is in the rear view mirror. “I do believe that he has patched things up with the organization,” Rosenhaus told PFT’s Mike Florio. “He has been in contact with the organization and I also believe with the coaching staff and they’ve rebuilt that relationship. So whatever damage took place in my estimation has been repaired.” Davis submitted the necessary paperwork to come out of retirement earlier this week. One report indicated that the Niners are “wary” of getting involved with the mercurial offensive lineman again.
  • Rams running back Tre Mason has been at the center of five different incidents involving cops in the past four months, according to TMZ Sports. The report also states that Mason’s family is concerned about his well being. Mason was arrested in March for resisting arrest, possession of cannabis, and reckless driving. Fisher told reporters in June that the Rams had to prepare as if the running back would not be with the club after that incident, but a recent report indicated that a decision had not been made on whether Mason would be involved in training camp. Mason could be facing a suspension from the league office for his episode earlier this year.

Cardinals Want To Extend Calais Campbell

July 20th, 2016 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this year, when the Cardinals traded traded for standout defensive end Chandler Jones, many believed that Calais Campbell‘s time in Arizona was running short. Apparently, that might not be the case. Cardinals GM Steve Keim says that he is “hopeful” about reaching a new deal with Campbell, as Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com writes. Calais Campbell (vertical)

[RELATED: Cardinals To Host Chris Culliver On Visit]

“Hopeful, but people ask all the time whether I think we’re close or we’re not. I don’t think it’s fair for us or the player to make a comment because, really, I don’t know what close is anymore. We’ll just continue to stay aggressive, though,” Keim said of talks with Campbell and Tyrann Mathieu. “That’s the one thing I’ve said earlier: Whether it’s signing players, whether it’s readjusting guys who need to be signed for extensions, we’ll continue to stay aggressive and try to keep our foot on the gas pedal.”

The defensive lineman is slated to carry a hefty $15.25MM cap number this year with a salary of $9.5MM. After the Cards selected Robert Nkemdiche and acquired Jones, many got the impression that there wouldn’t be plans to keep the University of Miami product for the long-term. After all, Jones is also slated to hit the open market after the 2016 season and Arizona may have to pay Jones an average annual value of $20MM on a multi-year deal.

Campbell, 30, earned his second-straight Pro Bowl nod in 2015. Last year, Campbell tallied 61 tackles, 5.0 sacks, and 3 pass deflections in the regular season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Mathieu, Megatron, Saints

June 25th, 2016 at 11:56am CST by Ben Levine

Patrick Peterson understands what it takes to negotiate a new contract with the Cardinals. For what it’s worth, the cornerback believes teammate and fellow defensive back Tyrann Mathieu‘s discussions with the organization won’t take particularly long.

“I was in kind of a similar situation when it was time for me to sign a new deal and obviously wanting a new deal,” Peterson said on PFT Live (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). “Like I tell Tyrann all the time, let his agent handle that and also it’s gonna be a long, drawn out process, you just have to be patient. I know it will happen, just don’t know when it will happen but the Cardinals organization understands what Tyrann means to the football team, to the community, and when you have a top notch player like that, that just doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and we have great ownership upstairs and the General Manager and the president and owner of the team. I mean those guys know at the end of the day what Tyrann means and like I said, I’m quite sure that the deal will get done here pretty soon.”

Reports indicated that the organization was ready to make Mathieu the highest-paid safety in the league, and talks seemed to be progressing. However, earlier this month, negotiations suddenly stalled, but there’s still optimism that a deal could be finalized by training camp.

As we await clarity on the Mathieu/Cardinals negotiations, let’s look at some more NFC notes…

  • Recently-retired wideout Calvin Johnson held his “Catching Dreams” football camp today, and the former Lions star told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter) that he won’t be returning to football. “I’m not coming back,” Johnson said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “You don’t have to worry about that.” The 30-year-old was clear that if he did return to the NFL, the comeback would be with the Lions.
  • The hiring process for Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell was more of a “recruitment” than an “interview,” coach Sean Payton told Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Fortunately, Payton had an edge after having coached Campbell for nearly a decade.
  • Meanwhile, Campbell, the Dolphins‘ interim head coach last season, was lured by the opportunity to work with Payton. “To me, it was a pretty easy sell,” he told Triplett. “And the biggest factor was Coach Payton. I know who he is, I know what he’s about. And hey, man, he’s proven himself as a coach.”

Tyrann Mathieu, Cardinals’ Extension Talks On Hold For Now

June 12th, 2016 at 2:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Though a report nearly a month ago indicated that the Cardinals were nearing an extension with defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, talks are now on hold as the club breaks for the summer, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). The two sides had hoped to reach a deal by now, but a long-term pact could still be hammered out before training camp, per Rapoport.

Oct 26, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) against the Baltimore Ravens at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

[RELATED: Cardinals defensive tackle Corey Peters returning from ACL tear]

Arizona is reportedly willing to make Mathieu the highest-paid safety in the league, and Rapoport confirms that information, adding that any extension is expected to come in north of $11MM per season. Currently, the Chiefs’ Eric Berry earns the most on an annual basis among safeties, although the Kansas City defender is under the franchise tag. Vikings safety Harrison Smith, who last week signed an extension that pays him $10.25MM per season, is number two. Of course, Mathieu also spends a great deal of time at cornerback, and an $11MM average annual value would rank eighth among CBs.

“I just want to get paid as a top defender,” Mathieu told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com last month. “I don’t want to be slotted as a corner or a safety, because I’m not Patrick Peterson and I’m not Earl Thomas. I’m kind of different than both of those guys, but I still have the same type of impact on the game as those guys do. I just want to be paid as a top defender, and however that looks on paper, that’s what I want.”

In 2015, Mathieu earned a Pro Bowl selection and was named first-team All Pro. In his 14 games, Mathieu recorded five interceptions, 89 tackles, one sack, 17 passes defensed, and graded out as the No. 1 cornerback in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cole’s Latest: Foles, Jets, Mathieu, Nelson

June 6th, 2016 at 8:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a quick look at the latest reporting from Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, who touched on a number of topics today in a series of videos…

Extra Points: Mathieu, Bears, Steelers, 49ers

May 23rd, 2016 at 8:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

A report last Monday indicated that the Cardinals were nearing an extension with defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, and today Mathieu himself told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com that the negotiations have been “smooth.” However, neither Mathieu nor general manager Steve Keim offered any sort of timeline for when a deal might finally be hammered out. Regardless, Mathieu isn’t concerning himself with positional designation as he awaits his payday.

“I just want to get paid as a top defender,” said Mathieu. “I don’t want to be slotted as a corner or a safety, because I’m not Patrick Peterson and I’m not Earl Thomas. I’m kind of different than both of those guys, but I still have the same type of impact on the game as those guys do. I just want to be paid as a top defender, and however that looks on paper, that’s what I want.”

Let’s take a look at a few more items from around the NFL…

  • Given that the Bears have signed Pernell McPhee and drafted Leonard Floyd and Jonathan Bullard over the past two seasons, it was fair to wonder if Willie Young and Lamarr Houston were going to survive for the 2016 season. Young, of course, looks to be a roster lock at this point, as he’s reportedly been offered an extension by Chicago. But Houston now seems likely to make the final 53 as well, as John Mullin of CSNChicago.com writes.
  • The Steelers have begun to resist the urge to restructure contracts in order to create cap space, as Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune details. After redoing 24 deals over the past five seasons, Pittsburgh hasn’t reworked a single contract this offseason, as GM Kevin Colbert & Co. have decided to stop kicking the can down the road.
  • With Martavis Bryant suspended for entire 2016 campaign, the Steelers are going to have to turn to other weapons to make up for his production. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com examines which pass-catchers might be asked to step up, including Ladarius Green, Sammie Coates, Markus Wheaton, and others.
  • In something of an upset, Colin Kaepernick is still on the 49ers‘ roster, and if he wants to earn the starting quarterback job, he’ll have to defeat favorite Blaine Gabbert to do so. As Kevin Lynch of SFGate.com writes, that level of competition could end up being a positive for Kaepernick.
  • Though the Raiders‘ efforts to relocate to Las Vegas appear to be growing more earnest, the proposed move won’t be on the docket at the next owner’s meetings, according to Peter King of TheMMQB.com.

Cardinals Nearing Extension With Tyrann Mathieu?

May 16th, 2016 at 7:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals are “deep in negotiations” for an extension with star safety Tyrann Mathieu, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The deal (if and when it is completed), will make Mathieu the highest-paid safety in the NFL, Rapoport adds. 

[RELATED: Cardinals Unlikely To Sign Antonio Cromartie]

Eric Berry currently stands as the NFL’s highest-paid safety on a per-year basis with a contract paying him $10.8MM in 2016. Of course, the Chiefs are hoping to lock up their own star safety as he is scheduled to hit the open market after the 2016 season. With that in mind, it’s possible that Mathieu’s mantle of being the highest-paid safety in the league might be short lived.

Earl Thomas of the Seahawks stands as the highest-paid safety on a multi-year deal following his four-year, $40MM extension signed in April 2014. Thomas’ AAV of $10MM/year edges Devin McCourty‘s $9.5MM salary after the Pats standout signed a five-year, $47.5MM deal to stay in New England last year. In terms of absolute guarantees, however, McCourty’s deal takes the cake at $22MM.

Mathieu is slated to earn a modest $1.5MM salary in his contract year. The LSU product underwent surgery in December to fix his torn ACL, but that apparently has not detered Arizona from getting a multi-year deal done. Mathieu, who will not take the practice field until training camp this summer, could be in line for more than $10MM per year on his new deal.

The former third-round pick is one of the league’s hardest hitters at his position and is an impact player when he’s on the gridiron. Mathieu, unfortunately, has missed eight games across his three NFL seasons.

“More than anything he’s a football player regardless of position and he’s a guy who can be a difference maker,” GM Steve Keim told PFT. “The hardest part of it all is in three years he has had two significant knee injuries. Aside from that Tyrann has done everything right on and off the field and he’s a guy that we envision as hopefully a face of the program moving forward.”

In 2015, Mathieu earned a Pro-Bowl selection and was named First-Team All-Pro. In his 14 games, Mathieu recorded five interceptions, 89 tackles, 1 sack, 17 passes defensed, and also recorded a defensive touchdown.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Load More Posts