Tyrann Mathieu - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals Place Tyrann Mathieu On IR

December 23rd, 2016 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

With two games to go, the Cardinals are shutting down their star safety. Tyrann Mathieu is being placed on injured reserve, according to a team announcement. In a related move, safety Trevon Hartfield has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster.

Mathieu has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury and he has been trying to avoid surgery. He also hasn’t completely recovered from the torn ACL that hampered him in 2015.

This hasn’t been a banner year for the player formerly known as the Honey Badger. Mathieu has appeared in only ten games this season thanks to injuries. In those games, he has 35 total tackles, one sack, and four passes defensed. The advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus have him ranked as just the No. 59 safety in the NFL with a 74.3 overall score, his worst-ever showing.

Mathieu is in the midst of a five-year, $62.5MM extension that he signed in August 2016. He’s under contract through 2021 and is currently the highest-paid safety in the NFL.

The 5-8-1 Cardinals are mathematically out of playoff contention. They wrap up the season with games against the Seahawks and Rams.

Cardinals Notes: Floyd, Mathieu, Arians, Wile

December 13th, 2016 at 9:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Any chance the Cardinals had at earning a postseason berth was likely destroyed on Sunday when Arizona fell to Miami on a last-second field goal, as FiveThirtyEight now gives the 5-7-1 Cards less than one percent chance of making the playoffs. With most of the focus in the desert turned to the offseason, let’s take a look at the latest out of Arizona…

The Cardinals are examining the contractual bargaining agreement to determine whether they can internally punish wide receiver Michael Floyd following his DUI arrest, head coach Bruce Arians told Alex Marvez on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Additionally, Arians said it’s possible the Floyd will simply be benched on Sunday against the Saints. Floyd is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, so these recent developments are the worst possible way for Floyd to finish the 2016 campaign.
Although a recent report indicated that he may need surgery, the Cardinals have their “fingers crossed” that defensive back Tyrann Mathieu can return to practice on Wednesday, according to Arians (Twitter link). Mathieu has been sidelined for four of Arizona’s past five games, and if he undergoes surgery, he’d presumably be shut down for the year. The Cards already placed two other critical defenders — linebacker Deone Bucannon and safety Tyvon Branch — on injured reserve yesterday.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Arians was adamant that the Cards would not make any coaching changes after the season, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Arians was specifically referring to special teams coordinator Amos Jones, per Urban, as Arizona has particularly struggled on teams this season. On the year, the Cardinals rank dead last in special teams DVOA, according to Football Outsiders.
The move to replace Drew Butler with fellow punter Matt Wile would have occurred last week, but Arizona wanted to ensure that Wile was a capable holder on field goal attempts, per Arians (Twitter link).

Tyrann Mathieu May Need Surgery

December 10th, 2016 at 7:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Set to miss a fourth game in five weeks because of a nagging shoulder injury, Tyrann Mathieu could be bound for the operating table again.

The Cardinals are contemplating surgery for their dynamic fourth-year defensive back, Bruce Arians said (via Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic). A subluxation that is restricting Mathieu’s range of motion and the loss of strength in the shoulder hovers at the root of this issue. The league’s highest-paid safety has dealt with this problem since Week 8.

Arians did not think another surgery for the Honey Badger would be necessary yet, but the All-Pro defender who has already undergone two operations to repair ACL tears as an NFLer will miss the most games in any of his four seasons this year due to a less severe but clearly troubling ailment. The torn ACLs in each knee, along with this latest shoulder impediment, prompted a reporter to ask Arians if he’s concerned about one of his cornerstone players venturing down a Bob Sanders-esque path.

“Totally different players; maybe the same injury history,” Arians said. “But Bob was a box guy that would just knock your socks off all the time. His body couldn’t take his bravado. He was one of the best that has ever been. Ty plays the game a different way. His [injuries] have just been bad luck.”

Mathieu returned for the Cardinals’ Week 12 date against the Falcons, notching five tackles and his season’s first sack, but did not play last week against the Redskins.

The 24-year-old Mathieu signed a five-year, $62.5MM extension in August but could be in danger of missing the remainder of the season if the Cardinals opt to play it safe as their season careens further away from playoff contention. Arizona’s mediocre defense of its NFC West title leaves the team 1.5 games back of the second NFC wild-card spot, and if the Cards drift out of contention, it makes little sense to put Mathieu back out there when the current concern surrounding his condition is reinjury.

Cardinals Activate Tyvon Branch

December 2nd, 2016 at 4:32pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cardinals have activated safety Tyvon Branch from injured reserve, the club announced. He’ll play Sunday against the Redskins, tweets Darren Urban of the team’s website.

Branch, a former Raider and Chief who signed a two-year deal with Arizona in March, appeared in the Cardinals’ first five games this season, racking up three starts and 20 tackles. He then landed on injured reserve Oct. 4 with a groin issue, and the team designated him to return from IR on Nov. 23. He’ll now rejoin a 4-6-1 club that entered the season as a Super Bowl contender but now has little room for error as it clings to slim playoff hopes.

While Branch will return Sunday, fellow defensive back Tyrann Mathieu is unlikely to suit up because of a sore shoulder. The 2015 first-team All-Pro’s shoulder kept him out of two of the Cardinals’ games in November, though he did play in their 38-19 loss to the Falcons last Sunday.

NFC West Notes: Rams, Mathieu, Seahawks

November 21st, 2016 at 9:10pm CST by Zachary Links

For months now, we have been hearing that the Rams are on the cusp of extending coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead. Lately, however, things have been quiet. Mike Florio of PFT reached out to Rams VP of football operations Kevin Demoff for comment and he said there were “no updates” to give for either of them.

Some people, according to Florio, believe that Fisher already has an extension in place but the team is waiting for the right time to announce it. Now 4-6 after losing to Miami, the Rams might want to wait a little longer.

Here’s more from around the NFC.

Cardinals GM Steve Keim thinks “there’s a good chance” safety Tyrann Mathieu plays Sunday in Atlanta (Twitter link via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com). Mathieu’s been out since October with a shoulder injury.
C.J. Prosise suffered a fractured scapula, and Pete Carroll said Monday it’s too early to tell if the rookie running back will be able to return this season, per Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk. That malady sounding quite concerning, the Seahawks head coach did say Prosise won’t need surgery on his injured shoulder. A high-ankle sprain will sideline running back Troymaine Pope, leaving Thomas Rawls and Alex Collins as the healthy Seattle runners of the moment.
Caroll also said Sunday looms as a possible Michael Bennett return date, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. Bennett’s been out since late October with a knee injury, one that snapped a games-played streak that hit 74. The Seahawks recently discussed an extension with the vocal defensive end as well, and it looks like the surging team will have his services again soon. Bennett has three sacks this season, with Cliff Avril and Frank Clark combining for 17.5.
Before signing with the Seahawks as a UDFA this year, tackle George Fant nearly signed with the Chiefs, GM John Schneider said on his radio show (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times). Fant, 24, has proven to be another strong UDFA find for Seattle, appearing in eight games and making four starts this year.
It was confirmed today Eric Reid will miss the rest of the season with a biceps tear. The 49ers safety will head into 2017 with a fifth-year option year that could well be guaranteed due to Reid’s injury status.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report

Extra Points: Coughlin, Jets, Cards, Steelers

November 8th, 2016 at 9:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Giants coach Tom Coughlin said he would be lying if he claimed he didn’t miss the sidelines, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. When asked about what the future might hold, the two-time Super Bowl winner said, “Who knows.” Coughlin, 70, will be inducted into Giants Ring of Honor on Monday night.

Cardinals DB Tyrann Mathieu To Miss Time

October 31st, 2016 at 2:43pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals announced that defensive back Tyrann Mathieu will miss 3-6 weeks with a shoulder injury. Mathieu’s shoulder popped out during Sunday’s game against the Panthers and he’ll need some time to heal up.

Fortunately, the Cardinals are entering a bye week, so Mathieu could miss as few as two games before returning on Sunday, Nov. 27 against the Falcons. If the Cardinals’ defensive star needs the full six weeks to recover, then he could be out of action until mid-December.

The Cardinals and Tyrann Mathieu agreed to a five-year contract extension in August that made him the highest-paid safety in the NFL and locked him up through 2021. 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. So far this year, PFF has him rated as just the 44th best safety in the league out of 89 qualifiers.

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.