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Tyrann Mathieu is rumored to be a potential target for the New Orleans Saints in free agency, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Schefter recently tweeted that the Saints will likely circle back in discussions with the three-time Pro Bowl safety:
“After failing to land a safety during the draft, the Saints now are expected to re-visit their talks with free-agent Pro-Bowl safety Tyrann Mathieu and make an aggressive push to try to add him to their roster, per sources. Mathieu was born and raised in New Orleans.”
Mathieu had a free-agent visit with the Saints at the start of April, but nothing materialized at that particular time. Now that the 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone, New Orleans is seemingly prepared to go back to the notion of signing the safety.
The Saints had just five picks in the draft, including two in the first round. New Orleans went offensive with both selections, taking wide receiver Chris Olave and offensive tackle Trevor Penning.
They did go on defense with their last three picks. The Saints picked up cornerback Alontae Taylor of Tennessee, linebacker D’Marco Jackson from Appalachian State, and defensive tackle Jordan Jackson of the Air Force.
Safety was a position of need when their former starting safety, Marcus Williams, signed a five-year, $70 million-dollar contract with the Baltimore Ravens. The contract includes a $14,965,000 signing bonus, $37 million guaranteed, and an average yearly salary of $14 million.
This offseason, the Saints signed former New York Jets safety Marcus Maye to a three-year, $28.5 million-dollar contract with $15 million in guaranteed money. In five years with the Jets, he had six interceptions, four forced fumbles, and 24 passes defended.
How did Tyrann Mathieu fare in the 2021 season?
Last season, Tyrann Mathieu played for the Kansas City Chiefs in his third campaign with the team. In 16 games for Kansas City in 2021, he had six passes defended, six interceptions, and a sack.
Could the 29-year-old return home to play for his hometown team? We’ll have to see and this offseason will give us the answer.
