The New Orleans Saints are reportedly going to make an aggressive push for Pro-Bowl safety Tyrann Mathieu, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
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.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 1, 2022
The news comes just a day after the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Saints made just five picks, headlined by first-rounders Chris Olave and Trevor Penning.
In the second round, the Saints selected defensive back Alontae Taylor out of Tennessee in the second round. Taylor is a versatile DB that can play everywhere, in addition to being a core special-teamer. His addition though doesn’t block any potential move for Mathieu though, as evidenced by their interest via Schefter.
Mathieu was born and raised in New Orleans before playing college football for LSU. It was there that Mathieu gained his nickname “Honey Badger” and became known as a true ballhawking playmaker. While his days at LSU didn’t end as planned, he’s since became a complete star in the NFL.
In nine years spent with the Cardinals, Texans, and Chiefs, he’s racked up 26 interceptions alongside three Pro-Bowl and All-Pro honors. At nearly 30 years old, the Chiefs didn’t seem too interested in retaining Mathieu.
Despite that, he’d make for a very solid addition to the Saints secondary. At this point in the offseason, he wouldn’t cost too much, either. Mathieu’s still got a lot left in the tank, as he’s coming off a Pro-Bowl season. He racked up three interceptions including a return for touchdown, six pass deflections, and three fumble recoveries while starting all 16 games.
