Tyrann Mathieu – Syndication Server

Jamal Adams is a solid option for New Orleans in free agency

Jamal Adams is still a free agent. The three-time Pro Bowl safety could help the Saints in multiple aspects, if he’s used properly:

Jamal Adams remains on the market during free agency, and the New Orleans Saints should be interested. Adams’ reputation has been tarnished since leaving the New York Giants, but what many critics don’t realize is that he was a second team All-Pro with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020 prior to being injured the following year. Injuries have interrupted his career, but he can still play at a high level in the right role.

The truth is that Adams specializes in playing close to the line of scrimmage. Using him in deep coverage consistently at this point of his career would be a coaching error. Dennis Allen has always used safeties there dating back to Kenny Vaccaro’s time with the team, then Vonn Bell, and Malcolm Jenkins. There’s a clearly-defined role ready for someone like Adams.

Tyrann Mathieu would continue to be the primarily deep safety in this situation. The Saints liked how Johnathan Abram performed in Marcus Maye’s absence when he went down with injury, but Abram isn’t solidified to start in 2024. Right now it looks like he’ll be competing with second-year safety Jordan Howden. Adams could make a compelling case for that role, too. Abram is also at his best closer to the line of scrimmage, so it’s not as if excelling as a deep coverage player is required for New Orleans.

Adams would deliver a boost to the Saints run defense that has struggled over the last few years. The Saints have also struggled to rush the passer recently. Adams was adept at blitzing and getting sacks early in his career He won’t be a coverage specialist but the tradeoff comes from needed value he could provide close to the line of scrimmage. With too few picks to spend on addressing all of their needs in the 2024 NFL draft, the Saints must consider all options to get better, and that includes players like Adams.

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Tyrann Mathieu eager to reunite with Willie Gay: ‘The city is going to love him’

Tyrann Mathieu is eager to reunite with his former Chiefs teammate Willie Gay, who he sees as a great fit in New Orleans: ‘The city is going to love him’

Tyrann Mathieu is eager to reunite with Willie Gay. The Kansas City Chiefs linebacker joined Mathieu (and other old teammates like Tanoh Kpassagnon, Khalen Saunders, and Ugo Amadi) on the New Orleans Saints this offseason, and Mathieu says he believes Gay will be a great fit. He discussed what the free agent pickup has to offer on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast.

“It’s amazing. Like coach says, it clears up the picture for you,” Mathieu said, considering the role Gay will play in Dennis Allen’s defense. “He is athletic, man. I think in the game today, when you have linebackers who can run just as fast as a slot receiver, who can handle the Darren Wallers in space, like it gives your defense an advantage, you know what I mean?”

The Saints had some trouble guarding tight ends and slot receivers last year. Pete Werner struggled in those assignments, and Gay will be competing with him for the starting job next to Demario Davis. Pro Football Focus charting found Werner allowed a career-high 470 receiving yards last season (another outlet, Pro Football Research, had him at 450), mostly to tight ends like Waller, T.J. Hockenson, and Luke Musgrave. Gay gives them a better option in those matchups.

Mathieu continued: “He’s going to be big-time for us. I think him coming in on a one-year deal, that’s going to allow him to be hungry, to be motivated. I already reached out to him, kind of talked to him, and let him know.”

And those movement skills in coverage make up just one area Mathieu points to as a strength. He also anticipates Gay bringing positive energy to the locker room, and for the linebacker to quickly endear himself to a new fanbase.

“The city is going to love him. Because he is so high energy, right, all day long. I think the fans are going to love him. Obviously the team will love him. He’s a good dude, a great teammate, he’s one of those linebackers that you’ve got to find a spot for him,” Mathieu said. “On third downs, can’t take him off the field.”

Gay himself has said he hopes to get on the field with Davis and Werner when the Saints run their base defense, but he might be their best bet at stopping the pass on third downs and in obvious passing situations, as Mathieu alluded to. That’s something they’ll be working to find out in training camp this summer. Wherever he’s lining up, Gay is expected to make a positive impact. Those expectations are coming from veteran teammates like Mathieu.

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Tyrann Mathieu has a ton of respect for Bijan Robinson: ‘He’s going to be special’

Tyrann Mathieu may play for the Saints, but he knows a quality opponent when he sees one. And he has a ton of respect for Falcons star Bijan Robinson:

Tyrann Mathieu takes a lot of pride in playing for his hometown New Orleans Saints, but he knows a quality rival when he sees one. And he’s eager to compete against Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. Mathieu pointed to the second-year pro during a recent appearance on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast when taking stock of his opponents in the NFC South.

And Mathieu offered some lofty comparisons for Robinson and his unique skill set: “Man, he’s going to be special. Marshall Faulk, you know, Edgerrin James, you know what I mean? Like, LaDainian Tomlinson, you know? And I didn’t think the Falcons really used him as good as they should have last year, but, man, he’s going to be good. He’s going to be real good.”

Robinson proved to be a dangerous dual-threat running back in 2023. He ran 214 times for 976 rushing yards, scoring 4 touchdown runs, while being targeted 86 times as a receiver; he caught 58 passes for another 487 receiving yards and 4 more touchdown receptions. He’s one of five rookie running backs to have 900-plus rushing yards and 400-plus receiving yards as a rookie since 2010, and one of 16 to do so in the history of pro football. Mathieu knows his history — James (1999) and Faulk (1994) are both in that group. Tomlinson (2001) was 33 receiving yards shy of joining them.

Mathieu’s Saints have gone 3-1 against the Falcons in his two years on the team, and they were a foolish Derek Carr pick-six in scoring position from beating them in Atlanta last year. But he sees Robinson as someone who could be a problem in the years ahead.

Robinson broke out with his first multi-touchdown game as a rookie against the Saints in Week 11, scoring a 10-yard run and a 26-yard reception while totaling 123 yards from scrimmage. Mathieu and his teammates did a better job limiting his gains on the ground in the Week 18 rematch (Robinson ran 11 times for just 28 yards) but he took an early grab-and-go pass out of the backfield 71 yards for a touchdown. They adjusted, though, and he finished with 32 yards on his other 6 catches.

Don’t expect first-year Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to make it as easy for them by splitting Robinson’s touches with other players. As Mathieu alluded to, former Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith was widely criticized for playing veterans like Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson ahead of the running back they drafted 8th overall. The Falcons are excited to have Kirk Cousins at quarterback after a couple of years in the desert, but they’ll be counting on Robinson to shoulder a heavy load in 2024.

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B/R writer suggest Saints should throw in the towel ahead of NFL draft

The one piece of advice Bleacher Report gave to the Saints ahead of the 2024 NFL draft: get ready to give up, go into a rebuild, and start over:

It almost goes without saying by now that the 2024 NFL draft is going to be pivotal for the New Orleans Saints, but it doesn’t hurt to use more examples to drive that point home. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon shared one piece of advice for every team going into this year’s draft, but his take on the Saints’ best path forward isn’t exactly encouraging.

“Be prepared to throw in the towel and start the rebuild,” Gagnon wrote, “because it has to happen eventually and this roster still isn’t good enough.”

As pessimistic as that may sound, let’s address the sentiment with the same level of bluntness. The Saints aren’t far from this being their reality. A year from now the Saints could be in a rebuild wishing they had started it a year early. With the age of Demario Davis (35), Cameron Jordan (34), and Tyrann Mathieu (31), New Orleans could be forced into this at any time. Their defense needs an injection of young talent.

Today is not the day. Dennis Allen has done nothing to afford the luxury of being the Saints’ head coach to lead them through a rebuild. That process should come with a new coach and new quarterback. This is Derek Carr’s second year in black and gold. He’ll get another year to right the ship after the Saints restructured his contract, tying themselves to him tighter.

The Saints can still compete for the NFC South title and aren’t far from being able to win a playoff game. They dismantled the same Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that dismantled the Philadelphia Eagles just a few weeks later. They aren’t competing for any Super Bowls, but they aren’t a bottom-feeder who should throw in the towel. The way their roster is constructed, they couldn’t reboot right now even if they wanted to. The NFC South is still within their reach and that goal will prevent them from throwing in the towel as Gagnon suggests.

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Saints bring back safety Johnathan Abram, an important keep for 2024

The New Orleans Saints are bringing back safety Johnathan Abram. The veteran safety was a nice get in 2023, and a big priority for 2024:

Johnathan Abram is back with the New Orleans saints for 2024, the team announced Wednesday. The sixth-year pro was a good pickup in 2023 and retaining him was an offseason priority for New Orleans. Having released Marcus Maye at the start of the new league year, the Saints needed more depth at safety, and Abram figures to have a good opportunity to compete for a starting job next to Tyrann Mathieu and Jordan Howden.

Abram, 27, played well for the Saints while coming in off the bench, totaling 208 snaps across nine games. He started ahead of Howden for the last two games on their schedule including a breakout performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Abram intercepted Baker Mayfield and broke up another pass while forcing a fumble and logging 5 tackles. There were other games where his deficiencies in coverage were exposed, but games like that are good examples of what he can do when he’s locked in.

He was also an underrated source of leadership in the locker room, which is something Derek Car said he expected when the Saints first signed him. Younger teammates pointed to Abram as a positive influence during heated moments, and new free agent acquisitions like linebacker Willie Gay have singled him out as a big recruiter for the team. Whether or not Abram continues to start in 2024, he’s going to be someone the Saints continue to lean on.

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Demario Davis agrees to an extension with the Saints

Contrary to some bad reporting, the Saints are going to sign an extension with Demario Davis which will let him play out his career in black and gold:

What’d we tell you? Contrary to some bad reporting suggesting the New Orleans Saints were going to have to trade Demario Davis, ESPN’s Adam Schefter says that the Saints reworked their deal with the All-Pro linebacker to insure he’ll retire in black and gold.

It’s an extension very similar to what Tyrann Mathieu received from the Saints last week. Schefter reports that Davis’ new deal is a two-year, $17.25 million contract with $13.25 million in guarantees. The NFL’s oldest starting linebacker (he turned 35 in January) is on the same timeline as Mathieu and defensive end Cameron Jordan, who are all now signed for 2024 and 2025, with the possibility of retirement in 2026.

Davis was set to count against the salary cap by $18,193,000 in 2024, which was the final year of his contract. Instead, that number should fall to about $9.5 million, but stay tuned for details to clarify exactly where his cap hit lands. The Saints were in the red by just $10.7 million prior to reworking his deal so they should be knocking on the door of salary cap compliance after this.

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Updated Saints salary cap space after extending Tyrann Mathieu

How did extending Tyrann Mathieu and tendering Rashid Shaheed impact the Saints’ salary cap? Here’s an update on how much more space New Orleans must clear:

It isn’t really accurate to say we’re updating the New Orleans Saints’ salary cap space situation — the team doesn’t have any space under the cap right now because they’re still over the cap by about $10.7 million. But a couple of recent moves have changed the situation, so let’s take stock of where things currently stand.

Per Over The Cap’s experts, the Saints are currently in the red by an estimated $10,602,3364. Now that only reflects the information and roster moves which have been made publicly available. It’s very possible that the Saints have already checked all their boxes and reached cap compliance without leaking anything to the media. It’s not like they’re frantically working to beat the deadline (next Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT).

And two recent moves changed that projection. The Saints signed starting safety Tyrann Mathieu to a new two-year contract valued at $13.5 million, with a salary cap hit of just $5,567,000 for 2024. That pushed them down to a nearly-level $10.5 million level over the spending limit.

But another shoe dropped when the Saints tendered Pro Bowl returns specialist Rashid Shaheed, an exclusive rights free agent. That costs $985,000 against the cap. Because only the top 51 cap hits count on the books at this time of the year, Shaheed pushed a lesser-valued contract of $795,000 (there’s six different players all carrying that number) beneath the threshold. So the true cost to the cap was only $190,000, meaning the Saints are in the red by $10,792,634.

At least at the time of writing. More moves are on the way. Obvious dominoes yet to fall include cap hits for right tackle Ryan Ramczyk ($27 million), running back Alvin Kamara ($18.7 million), linebacker Demario Davis ($18.1 million) and do-it-all weapon Taysom Hill ($15.7 million). There are other levers the Saints can pull if they really want to max out their cap resources, but those are the big ones to watch.

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Tyrann Mathieu hoping to retire with Saints, leave a strong legacy behind

Tyrann Mathieu hopes to retire with the Saints and leave a strong legacy behind, but says he’s ‘looking forward to the next two years’

The New Orleans Saints pulled off the rare deal that makes both sides happy in the NFL on Thursday by negotiating a contract extension with veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu. One of their best defenders will have the opportunity to close out his career playing for his hometown team, while the Saints get some much-needed salary cap flexibility in reworking his contract.

“It is a great opportunity for me, and I am looking forward to the next two years,” Mathieu told local reporters in a conference call.

When asked if he could potentially retire with the Saints when the time comes, Mathieu responded with “Hope so,” while reiterating that his focus is on winning games and leading the team to success: “I hope and pray I can continue to be a positive influence on the young guys.”

Mathieu acknowledged that the last two years had been “underwhelming” for Saints fans, who are currently tied for the fifth-longest active playoff drought around the league. But he expressed confidence that they can get where they want to go with what he believes is a quality roster and coaching staff.

And winning with the Saints matters to him. Mathieu knows exactly how passionate the fanbase is and he hopes to make them proud. He said he would’ve taken a pay cut to stay in New Orleans and continue giving back to the community, but getting more security for his future was a welcome bonus: “I’m from here. It’s a blessing to play here.”

But giving back to the city is what he’s looking forward to most. While he’s grateful for fans of his work on the field, the opportunity to be a positive influence on young people and give back to the community is his next ambition. That’s how he sees the path to establishing a long-lasting legacy.

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Saints reach agreement with Tyrann Mathieu on a contract extension

The Saints reached an agreement with Tyrann Mathieu on a new contract, keeping him in New Orleans through 2025:

This is good news: The New Orleans Saints reached an agreement with veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu on a new contract, which will keep him on the team through 2025. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill first reported news of his Mathieu’s deal, adding that it will lower his salary cap hit in 2024 from $12,067,000 “to about $5.5 million.”

But this isn’t just a restructure. It’s an extension, which CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reports that his new deal is valued at $13 million. Mathieu was already under contract for 2024 but it was the last year of his deal, so he and the Saints agreed to add another year to it. He will now be a free agent in 2026 with the option to continue playing after his 33rd birthday or call it a career.

He’s been a good pickup for New Orleans. Mathieu has played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2022 and 99% of them in 2023 while being credited with 7 interceptions, 17 passes deflected, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to go along with 166 combined tackles through two years. With Marcus Maye being released at the start of the new league year, Mathieu is going to have to take on even more of a leadership role in the Saints’ secondary. He’s done well in that role thus far, and can close out his career doing it for his hometown.

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Report: Saints reworking their contract with safety Tyrann Mathieu

This is interesting: NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the New Orleans Saints are negotiating what he calls a “reworked contract” with starting safety Tyrann Mathieu. This comes after the Saints informed Mathieu’s co-starter Marcus Maye that he would be released at the start of the new league year on March 13, joining a large crowd of soon-to-be free agent safeties.

It’s no surprise that the Saints are taking a hard look at Mathieu’s contract. His $12 million salary cap hit is among the highest on the team and they still need to reach cap compliance before free agency kicks off next week. Restructuring his contract would save up to $5.8 million against the cap. An extension, if structured well, could free up to $6.2 million. A pay cut is also an option but it carries a wide range of outcomes.

What’s intriguing is Underhill’s wording — this doesn’t sound like a typical restructure where the Saints would convert most of Mathieu’s $7 million base salary into a signing bonus and pay it out in installments. Oftentimes a reworked deal means either a pay cut, conversion of salary into incentives, or an extension.

And keep in mind that we’re speculating here, but that last point might be the key. Mathieu is entering the final year of his contract. Most of the money the Saints would save now by restructuring him would hit the books next season if he isn’t re-signed. If the plan is to retain him anyway, simply signing him to an extension now and moving money around — effectively reworking the deal — would make the most sense for both sides.

Mathieu played well in 2023. His 4 interceptions were tied with cornerback Paulson Adebo for the team lead. He tied slot corner Alontae Taylor with 75 combined tackles (fifth-most), 50 of them solo (also fifth). He’ll turn 32 in May and working out a new deal to insure he’ll finish his career playing for his hometown team would be a fantastic story.

But this could just as easily be a pay cut. Hopefully that’s not the case, though Underhill adds that Mathieu is working with the Saints to push negotiations across the finish line. He’s been a good pickup and it would be great to see him close out the final chapter of his playing career in front of a friendly crowd. Stay tuned.

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