The sudden retirement of New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu should officially start the clock on his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. Earning three first-team All-Pro nods over his 12 NFL seasons, the “Honey Badger” enjoyed a remarkable career that saw the former third-round pick become a Super Bowl champion and one of the most dynamic safeties in NFL history.
Mathieu, a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2010s, snagged the most interceptions (36) of any NFL player from 2013 to 2024, while also finishing in the top five among safeties in tackles (833, fifth), tackles for loss (45, fifth) and passes defensed (100, first) during that span. Oh, and he added 11 sacks for good measure. Simply put, he’s one of this generation’s best multidimensional playmakers in the defensive backfield. From his instinctive plays on the ball to his knack for knocking it loose, Mathieu remained the dominant “see ball, get ball” defender who initially burst on the scene as a Heisman Trophy finalist at LSU.
As a collegian, the 5-foot-9, 186-pouder defied the odds, standing out as an undersized defender with unremarkable speed, thanks to his uncanny knack for making plays on the ball. While Mathieu’s substance-abuse concerns overshadowed his playmaking skills, the ultra-aggressive ballhawk showed evaluators that instincts trump athleticism when it comes to scouting safeties. Whether it was his ability to pick off passes on tips/overthrows or execute perfectly timed blitzes off the edge, Mathieu displayed the kind of natural playmaking savvy that’s hard to find in a third-level defender.
Moreover, the LSU standout played with the relentless energy and passion that defensive coordinators covet. From his unbridled enthusiasm after making a big play to his relentless pursuit of the ball, Mathieu brought next-level energy to the field. That zest for the game prompted the Arizona Cardinals and former GM Steve Keim to roll the dice on Mathieu despite red flags that would prompt some general managers to remove him from the draft board.
“Just like I said when we drafted him, it was a risk,” Keim said on “Schein On Sports” ahead of Mathieu’s rookie season. “Now, every player you draft is a risk, whether it’s for skill, injury or off-field concerns. We had some off-the-field concerns about him. He’s answered the bell. He’s been a model citizen so far. Again, he has to stay focused and keep that trend going. The on-field stuff is as good as you can imagine. He is a ballhawk, playmaker; he’s tough as nails. The other night, (former Cardinals coach) Bruce (Arians) told me that he got his first live game action late first quarter, second quarter, played in the third, and they tried to take him out of the game and he didn’t even want to come out. He’s just a competitor. The guy said he sat out of football for a year, he waited long enough, he wants to be out on the field. He just has a unique, real uncanny way about playing the nickel and that slot, blitzing off the hash, doing different things in coverage. I think the NFL is going to see that Tyrann is the real deal.”