The Honey Badger's time with the New Orleans Saints won't be over any time soon.
The veteran safety agreed to terms with the Saints on a re-worked, 2-year contract. The team announced the move Thursday afternoon.
The deal is for 2 years and a max of $13 million, $10 million of which is guaranteed, according to a report from NewOrleans.football. Mathieu was entering the final season of a 3-year deal that brought the New Orleans native and former LSU star back home prior to the 2022 season. The move means that Mathieu's time with the Saints most likely extends through the 2025 season.
The lone concern with Mathieu could be how much tread he has left on the tires as he enters his 12th NFL season and at age 32. What works in Mathieu's favor, though, is all the evidence saying he's still playing at an elite level. Mathieu has started in all 34 possible games since joining the Saints, logging 166 tackles (114 solo), one sack, seven interceptions and 17 passes defensed.
It's a move that also cements the Saints' commitment to Mathieu, but only answers one question in the secondary. The Saints are expected to release another veteran safety in Marcus Maye at the start of the new league year, marking a need for someone to step up into a starting role. Several high-profile names are available in free agency. The Saints could also turn to Jordan Howden to start in Year 2 and/or invest draft capital at the position. The Saints have been largely successful when targeting safeties in the draft, some recent examples including Vonn Bell, Marcus Williams and C.J. Gardner Johnson.
The move for Mathieu is also expected to clear roughly $7.5 million from the 2024 cap, leaving the Saints in the range of $10 million left to clear to get to cap compliance. The team started the process more than $80 million in the whole, but have worked it down through a series of restructures and maneuvers. The new league year begins on March 13, at which point all 32 teams must be cap compliant.
