It seems the Arizona Cardinals have agreed to an extension with safety Tyrann Mathieu.
The saga of Tyrann Mathieu’s contract extension has finally come to an end. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported today that the Cardinals and Mathieu have agreed to a contract extension.
Source: The #AZCardinals are finalizing a a long-term extension with Tyrann Mathieu. They've agreed in principle.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 2, 2016
The #AZCardinals and Tyrann Mathieu have reached an agreement on a 5-year deal, source said. It's worth roughly $12M per year. Huge.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 2, 2016
The extension was reported to be 62.5 million dollars with 40 million dollars in guaranteed money. With what Mathieu has done on and off the field, the Cardinals have shown they have no doubts that he is the best in the business. The deal would also make Mathieu the highest paid corner in the league.
Mathieu is currently recovering from an ACL tear he suffered in last season’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Mathieu’s injury history most likely was a discussion point during negotiations. While suffering 2 ACL tears in 3 seasons raises a red flag, Mathieu is too good at what he does to let him walk away.
The #AZCardinals have been clear on this: They wanted to reward Tyrann Mathieu & pay him what he's worth. He's a face of their franchise.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 2, 2016
The Honey Badger is feeling good about his extension, judging from his recent tweet:
Blessed....
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) August 2, 2016
Mathieu was voted to his first Pro Bowl, along with being named a First-team All-Pro in 2015. Last season, he finished with 89 combined tackles, 1 sack and 5 touchdowns and was one of the catalysts for the Cardinals having one of the most potent secondaries in the league.
From getting kicked out of the LSU football program, to emerging as the face of the franchise, Tyrann Mathieu has done incredibly well for himself and I expect much greater things from him in the coming years.