Saints Quickly Sign Ex-Colts 5-Year Vet After Tyrann Mathieu Retirement

The New Orleans Saints may have been caught off guard by safety Tyrann Mathieu's retirement, but they didn't waste time feeling sorry for themselves.

Matthieu decided to call it quits after a fantastic 12-year career, which included three Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring. He looked set to begin his fourth year with the Saints after not missing a game in his first three, but the 33-year-old decided it was time to move on.

With training camp set to begin on Wednesday, the Saints decided they needed another safety, and fast. And they managed to find a 26-year-old who started 16 games last season in short order.

According to multiple reports, including Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Saints have signed former Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon. Details of the contract are not yet known at the time of publication.

Blackmon, a 2020 third-round pick, spent all five of his seasons in the NFL so far in Indianapolis. He totaled 66 games played, 300 total tackles, 10 interceptions, including a touchdown, and a 101.5 passer rating allowed in coverage.

Last season, Pro Football Focus gave Blackmon an overall grade of 69.3, which ranked 48th out of 170 qualified safeties.

Blackmon isn't a star by any means, and he doesn't have a particularly similar skill set to that of Mathieu. But he's a capable starting NFL safety, and whether he was going to be a starter or not, Mathieu was going to get a lot of snaps this year.

We'll have to see how the season plays out, but it's hard not to consider the Blackmon signing a win, considering how late in the offseason they had to find a replacement.

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