In our Aug. 5th poll, 57% of voters agreed that Tyrann Mathieu, aka the “Honey Badger”, is not only the highest paid safety in the league–he is also the best.
Tyrann Mathieu's contract extension make him the highest paid safety in the NFL. Is he the best in the league?
— Best NFL Polls (@Best_NFL_Polls) August 5, 2016
According to Pro Football Focus, Mathieu played 66.7% of his snaps at CB (most of which were in the slot), 24.4% at SS and 8.9% at FS. So you could certainly argue that he isn’t as much of a pure safety as Seattle’s Earl Thomas. But one thing you can’t deny is Mathieu’s pension for making plays–no matter where he lines up. In 2015, Mathieu racked up 89 tackles, 1 sack, 17 PD, 5 INTs (1 returned for a TD) before going down with a torn ACL in Week 15.
The Honey Badger plays with an old school mean streak that is much bigger than his 5’9″ 180 lb frame. He is a sure tackler, a dangerous blitzer coming off the edge and is an elite cover man that can make plays on the ball. Mathieu’s versatility is key to the Arizona Cardinals’ defense, which was top 5 in the NFL last year. Watching one episode of Amazon.com’s amazing All or Nothing: A Season with the Arizona Cardinals will give you an idea of how much Tyrann Mathieu means to this team as both a player and a person (watch Episode 3 for an incredible in-depth look at his draft day experience and his journey since then). Aside from being one of the top playmakers, he has grown into a team leader and a face of the Cardinals franchise.
For all he has done since coming into the league in 2013 and all he will do for this team for years to come, Tyrann Mathieu’s new contract is certainly well earned and well-deserved.
With Mathieu’s speedy recovery from his torn ACL and his healthy return to the gridiron, watch for the Cardinals defense to once again be one of the top units in 2016.