Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers best efforts, Tyrann Mathieu will not become the newest Steeler. Instead, he’s going to Houston, signing a one year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Former Cardinals’ safety Tyrann Mathieu reached agreement on a one-year deal with the Houston Texans, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2018
Mathieu had told teams he wanted to play for a team who put football first and to go to a contender, not to take the most money on the table. The Texans went 4-12 last year, though to be fair, they lost J.J. Watt and Deshaun Watson to season-ending injury.
Cam Heyward, Joe Haden, and others had been angling for Mathieu to come to Pittsburgh. But no reports had him even on the shortlist and it was always an unrealistic signing.
Go ahead and make your way to the burgh! Trust me it could be special
— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) March 16, 2018
Talking over Twitter is cute! But I send out text messages and make phone calls https://t.co/RLMHNvTvhf
— Joe Haden (@joehaden23) March 15, 2018
The best thing to come out of this is the potential to see movement in the safety market. With the top name off the board, it sets the market for the rest of the group. Tre Boston is the biggest name now. Pittsburgh was one of three teams who showed interest in him last year, finishing behind Buffalo and the Chargers, where he wound up signing.
UPDATE: Mathieu’s deal is worth $7 million.
Compensation update: Former Cardinals’ safety Tyrann “Honeybadger” Mathieu is signing a one-year, $7 million deal with the Houston Texans, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2018
So, Honey Badger's base earnings are $6.5M and he can make another 500K if he dresses every game.
— Steelers Depot (@Steelersdepot) March 17, 2018
