The Pittsburgh Steelers are seemingly still in the hunt for a veteran safety, and as of Tuesday morning, free agent safety Tyrann Mathieu is still on the market. According to odds released Tuesday by Bookies.com, the Steelers are among the betting favorites to sign Mathieu, but they are not at the top of the list.
Per the latest update, the Steelers now have the sixth-best odds to sign Mathieu at +750. The Philadelphia Eagles have the best odds at +300. They are followed by the New Orleans Saints (+325), Detroit Lions (+650), Indianapolis Colts (+650), New York Jets (+700), and the Steelers. The Field line is at +400.
So far this offseason Mathieu has visited with his hometown Saints in-person. He left that trip to New Orleans saying that he’s not sure if the Saints really need him right now. Additionally, just last week Mathieu reportedly had a virtual visit with the Eagles.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin personally called Mathieu a few weeks ago to presumably attempt to get the All-Pro safety to come to Pittsburgh. As of right now, the Steelers are still looking to find a replacement for starting strong safety Terrell Edmunds, who like Mathieu, is still an unsigned unrestricted free agent. That other safety spot alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the last defensive starting spots that remains vacant this offseason for the Steelers.
As for the Steelers’ attraction to Mathieu, general manager Kevin Colbert said at the NFL owners’ meetings last month that the team’s preference is to sign younger players that are coming off their first contracts, and thus hitting free agency for the first time. Mathieu is 29, and he’ll turn 30 in May. He’s also been through free agency several times already.
As for Edmunds, the Steelers reportedly had some sort of offer on the table for him as of a few weeks ago after declining to pick up his fifth-year option last offseason. Even so, the Steelers reportedly recently attempted to sign veteran safety Kareem Jackson prior to his re-signing with the Denver Broncos last week. Jackson is way over the age of 30.
Even if the Steelers do wind up signing a veteran safety in the coming weeks, the team will still likely address the position at some point during the 2022 NFL Draft. Colbert and Tomlin have already scouted several draft-hopeful safeties in person these last several weeks, and that list of players includes the likes of Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton, Michigan’s Dax Hill, Georgia’s Lewis Cine, and Penn State’s Jaquan Brisker. Those four players are widely considered to be top 64 players in this year’s draft class.
The Steelers also recently re-signed veteran safety Karl Joseph, who spent all of the 2021 season on the team’s practice squad. Veteran safety Miles Killebrew was also re-signed earlier in the offseason, but he’s widely considered to be a special teams ace first, and a safety option second.
Tyrann Mathieu Week 1 Team Odds via bookies.com
| Team | Odds |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +300 |
| New Orleans Saints | +325 |
| Detroit Lions | +650 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +650 |
| New York Jets | +700 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +750 |
| The Field | +400 |
