Tyrann Mathieu has been in the NFL for nearly a decade, so he was plenty comfortable letting his free agent experience stretch until after the draft.
But even with the extra time, the Saints were the only team he chose to visit despite interest from multiple teams. And that makes sense, considering how much time he's spent in Louisiana this offseason. It's where he started his NFL journey, and it's where he hopes to finish it.
"From the get-go I knew where I wanted to be," Mathieu said after signing his 3-year deal Wednesday afternoon. "From there it’s just all about everything coming together and aligning. … It just feels good to see it all kind of come together."
Listen to Tyrann Mathieu's full interview on WWL Radio in the player below. Can't see the embed? Click here.
And despite the wait, it didn't take long for that situation to come together with the 29-year-old Mathieu once the Saints left the draft without a new safety in the building. The lone pick in the secondary was spent on Tennessee's Alontae Taylor, whom coach Dennis Allen projected to stick at cornerback.
Saints GM Mickey Loomis gave a not-so-subtle hint that a "must" still existed, and Mathieu's deal was first reported shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday, the deadline after which signings won't impact the compensatory draft selections formula.
"I think when I realized the Saints wanted me and obviously I wanted them," Mathieu said, "it was a situation that I knew I wasn’t gonna pass up."
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It's a pairing that Saints fans have been attempting to speak into existence on social media for months, with CJ Gardner-Johnson fanning the flames regularly in pitching the former LSU star on a trip back home. And it's a rare instance where that social media furor became reality, even if it wasn't entirely necessary.
"He didn't really have to sell me too much," Mathieu said. "I was already sold
The safety, who turns 30 later this month, is now set to pair with veteran Marcus Maye who was signed earlier in the offseason out of the New York Jets organization. They'll work to replace the highly productive duo of Marcus Williams, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency, and Malcolm Jenkins, who opted to retire after 13 NFL seasons.
The signing marks the former LSU star's fourth NFL stop after being selected in the third round by the Arizona Cardinals in the xxx draft. He spent his first five seasons in Arizona before signing a 1-year deal with the Houston Texans. He spent the past three years with the Kansas City Chiefs, making two Super Bowl trips and a playoff run before again entering free agency and landing in his native New Orleans.
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For his career he's played in 129 games and logged 591 tackles, 76 passes defensed, 10 sacks, 26 interceptions and three defensive TDs. Mathieu's inclusion allows the Saints to be adjustable in the secondary, with neither he or Maye locked into either the free or strong safety roles and setting the stage to disguise coverages in ways that couldn't happen with the previous personnel.
He'll also join a secondary group that includes an impressive array of talent in CJ Gardner-Johnson, Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Bradley Roby and the rookie Taylor.
"I think that this defense, they just have an identity that every time they take the field they’re gonna hit everything that moves, and they’re gonna try to play team ball," he said. "And I think that’s why they’ve been a really successful unit over the past 5 years or so. So I’m just hoping that I can add to that."
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