New Orleans Saints star safety Tyrann Mathieu defends himself after recent rankings on social media
The New Orleans Saints are a veteran team. Their roster is one of the oldest in the NFC. Safety Tyrann Mathieu is an aging defender, but that has not slowed him down. His play was impressive last season, and he has not lost any of the confidence in himself as he's gotten older in his […]
The New Orleans Saints are a veteran team. Their roster is one of the oldest in the NFC. Safety Tyrann Mathieu is an aging defender, but that has not slowed him down.
His play was impressive last season, and he has not lost any of the confidence in himself as he's gotten older in his professional endeavors in the league.
Tyrann Mathieu explains why he has always been overlooked
Im no late boomer, I been doing this shit for 10+ years. I’m 32, I was HIM since I was 18 years old. People try to discredit me but truth is, not many can do what I did in a 5’9 185 pound body. — Tyrann Mathieu via Twitter/X
This response came after Mathieu was ranked tenth in PFF's latest safety rankings.
Although he turned 32 in May, Mathieu is still playing at a high level and might just be playing the best football of his Saints tenure. He earned an 80.0-plus PFF overall grade in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career, and as a result, his 86.9 overall grade over the past two years ranks fifth among safeties.
Mathieu has also been among the most durable safeties in the league, logging more than 1,000 snaps in seven consecutive seasons. — Pro Football Focus
The ranking is a fair one, and I don't think Mathieu was particularly offended by the ranking alone. Rather, he had an opportunity to explain his feelings on how analysts and fans have discussed his name for a quite some time.
In my opinion, Mathieu is probably the 8th or 9th-best safety in the NFL for the upcoming season. None of the names ahead of him are egregious in PFF's rankings.
Mathieu played some great football last season in 2023 when he had arguably the best year of his Saints tenure so far. The Honey Badger will look to build on it in 2024.
