03-15-2022, 04:10 PM
(03-15-2022, 03:38 PM)Mer Wrote: Is he just not that good or does he think he's worth more than the teams think?
https://www.profootballnetwork.com/tyrann-mathieu-why-hasnt-the-nfl-all-pro-safety-signed-in-free-agency-yet/
Quote:Why hasn’t Tyrann Mathieu signed in free agency?
There could be any number of reasons the three-time All-Pro hasn’t agreed to terms with a team yet. First, the safety market has been stagnant so far. Quandre Diggs stayed in Seattle, Justin Reid is primed to replace Mathieu in Kansas City, and Tracy Walker remained in Detroit. Additionally, Marcus Williams has been a ghost so far in free agency.
The 2022 NFL Draft class is ripe with potential safety talent to complicate the matter. Kyle Hamilton is a unicorn, but he’s far from the only intriguing prospect at the position. The PFN Mock Draft Simulator has four in the top 35, and names like Jalen Pitre, Kerby Joseph, and Verone McKinley III are intriguing Day 2 options.
Historically, the NFL hasn’t coveted the position. The Seahawks backed up the Brinks truck for Jamal Adams, but he only averages $17 million per season. No safety has ever made more. Mathieu almost certainly would want a figure right around that number, and the Chiefs weren’t comfortable with that.
Mathieu is a bit of a niche player
It’s meant with absolutely no disrespect that Mathieu is a bit scheme-dependent. He’s a two-high, match-coverage safety. In the modern NFL, that’s becoming more prominent, but he won’t be a fit for every team.
Mathieu is too slight to play a majority of his reps in the box as a free safety, and his coverage intelligence is a bit wasted were he to be used as a single-high free safety. He also doesn’t possess the range and length to be a difference-maker in that arena. He’s best when he can work from depth, drive on passes, and communicate switches.
Still, Mathieu is one of the best players in the league in the role Steve Spagnuolo used him in, and his coverage intelligence should quickly transfer to teams that run more country zone looks.
