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When the Minnesota Vikings signed safety Harrison Smith to a five-year, $51.25 million contract extension, it put the Arizona Cardinals and former LSU DB Tyrann Mathieu in a strange place.
Looking for an extension of his own, Mathieu’s position will play a big role in how much money he makes, according to arizonasports.com:
It would benefit Mathieu if he were to be paid closer to that of a cornerback, rather than a safety, as cornerbacks typically make more than safeties.
This offseason, the Washington Redskins signed cornerback Josh Norman to a five-year, $75 million deal with $50 million guaranteed.
According to Pro Football Focus, Mathieu lined up as a safety on a third of his snaps with the rest of his snaps played at cornerback.
But, according to the article, ESPN NFL insider John Clayton said it’s highly likely that the Cardinals will offer Mathieu an extension similar to Smith’s, not Norman’s:
“Tyrann, no different than when Earl Thomas was negotiating his contract a couple years ago, wants to be paid like one of the highest paid defensive players in the league. And that’s not going to be done,” Clayton said. “In many ways, it affirms the case of the Cardinals and hurts and slows down negotiations because Mathieu definitely wants more, significantly more. He wants to be treated like a top defensive player, not a top safety.”
$10 million a year is still a lot of money, but it remains to be seen if the Honey Badger will be happy with that, or if he’ll explore other options when his contract expires after this season.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
