The Arizona Cardinals have signed safety Tyrann Mathieu to a five-year, $62.5 million contract extension. $40 million of that money is guaranteed. With the deal, he is now the highest-paid cornerback safety in the NFL.
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
Arizona Cardinals Sign Defensive Back Tyrann Mathieu to Five-Year Extension
The deal comes as a surprise as Matheiu suffered a torn ACL back in December in the team’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He is still on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list as the Cardinals begin training camp.
In the Cardinals’ new show, All or Nothing, he has shown to exceed expectations. He has also done that since entering the NFL in 2013.
He was kicked off the LSU football team in 2010 after multiple suspensions. In 2013, multiple reports said that he had failed more than ten drug tests while at school.
The Cardinals drafted Mathieu in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Over his three seasons, he has recorded 195 tackles and eight interceptions. Five of those came in 2015. He also recorded a career-high 80 tackles.
The Cardinals finished the 2015 season 13-3. It was the third consecutive season in which the Cardinals won ten or more games. All seasons came under head coach Bruce Arians.
They defeated the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round. The game featured one of the most exciting finishes in NFL history. They then fell to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship game.
The Cardinals open the 2016 season on the first Sunday night game of the year against the New England Patriots. It will be the first game without quarterback Tom Brady for the Patriots. Mathieu and the Cardinals defense will be looking to take advantage of Brady’s absence.
With Mathieu, alongside Patrick Peterson and with rookie Robert Nkemdiche on the defensive line, the Cardinals are looking like they will have one of the top defenses in the NFL in 2016.
