New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu had one year remaining on his deal going into next season, but he signed an extension this week that will keep him with the Saints through 2025.
Mathieu spoke about how much it means to him to remain in New Orleans for the foreseeable future and may want to retire as a member of the Saints.
“I hope so. But I would probably say more than that, I’ve got another chance to help these guys win,” Mathieu said, via John DeShazier of the Saints’ official team website. “I’d say the last couple of years have kind of been underwhelming, to say the least. So to have another opportunity to suit back up with these guys, help this whole city win, that means a lot to me. So I’m excited about that opportunity.”
Mathieu even lowered his number for 2024 in exchange for an extra year on his contract.
“I’ve made a lot of money in this league, I like the situation I’m in with the Saints,” said Mathieu. “I think I’ve come along in the system – for me, that’s exciting,” he said. “And I think where I’m at in my life today, I would have just taken a one-year deal, took some off the top, but I love to be in New Orleans. I love to be around family, I love being able to be in the community, and not have to live out of town and come back in for a weekend or two. I’m here. That means a lot to me.
The 31-year-old initially signed with New Orleans back in 2022 and has enjoyed a couple of productive years with the club thus far.
He played in all 17 games during his debut campaign with the Saints, registering 91 tackles, a sack, three interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and eight passes defended.
This past season, Mathieu once again appeared in every contest and finished with 75 tackles, four picks, nine passes defended and a defensive touchdown.
Mathieu began his career with the Arizona Cardinals back in 2013 and spent five seasons there before making a pit stop with the Houston Texans. After one year with the Texans, he linked up with the Kansas City Chiefs for three years before joining New Orleans.
The LSU product is a three-time Pro Bowler and has also earned three First-Team All-Pro selections.
We’ll see if Tyrann Mathieu and the Saints can get back to the playoffs in 2024.
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