Shoutout to Tyrann Mathieu. The New Orleans Saints safety is aging like fine wine, and he earned a spot on Touchdown Wire’s list of the 11 best safeties in the NFL for his efforts in 2023. He’ll continue to be a major playmaker and leader in the secondary for New Orleans, but here’s why TD Wire’s Doug Farrar argues Mathieu is so special:
Through the years, Tyrann Mathieu’s deployment metrics from season to season have been unpredictable, to say the least. The Cardinals picked Mathieu in the third round of the 2013 draft, and had him as a primary slot defender most of the time. One year with the Texans in 2018 had him more as a versatile rover — that was the first season in which Mathieu had at least 300 snaps at free, box, and slot. Mathieu signed with the Chiefs in 2019, just in time for Steve Spagnuolo to really let him bloom in that role. That got him a three-year, $27 million deal with the Saints in 2022.
Last season in Dennis Allen’s defense, Mathieu was more of a deep-third player, with 776 snaps as a high safety, 210 in the box, and 191 in the slot. He was good for 54 solo tackles and 19 stops. In coverage, he allowed 21 catches on 35 targets for 249 yards, 194 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, four interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 70.7.
2023 marked Mathieu’s highest rate of deployment in the deep third that he’s ever had, which is a pretty interesting construct for a 31-year-old guy. But he handled it with aplomb, showing the kind of route-matching and robber skills you’d expect from a much younger player.
Farrar ranked Mathieu 8th-best among his peers, alongside NFC South rivals like Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (No. 2; Winfield is also the highest-paid safety in the NFL), Atlanta Falcons standout Jessie Bates III (No. 5), and Carolina Panthers starter Xavier Woods (No. 11).
And the Saints are betting big on Mathieu continuing to play at a high level. They released his tag-team partner Marcus Maye earlier this offseason while tapping Johnathan Abram and Jordan Howden to compete for the now-vacant spot in the lineup. Mathieu turned 32 in May and agreed to a renegotiated contract that will keep him in New Orleans through the 2025 season, so he’s entrenched as a starter for the foreseeable future. Hopefully he can maintain the high standards he’s set. No Saints player has intercepted more passes than Mathieu (7) since he joined the team.
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