Tyrann

Mathieu

Saints GM Mickey Loomis said he was a little surprised after he learned this would happen a few days ago. The three-time All-Pro safety retires just ahead of training camp with the Saints. Honey Badger started 171 games over his 12 NFL years, intercepting 36 balls and creating 838 combined tackles. At his best, Mathieu was a havoc creator for the Cardinals, Texans, and Chiefs. Jonas Sanker and Jordan Howden are among the in-house replacements in New Orleans to start next to Justin Reid.

This is great news for the Saints’ secondary lynchpin. The Saints face the Giants in Week 14 and it would be entirely unsurprising to see Mathieu pick on—and pick off—whichever backup quarterback gets the start for the G-Men next week.

Mathieu hurt his shoulder in the second half of the Saints’ Week 13 matchup against the Rams. He exited the game and the Saints listed him as questionable to return. Jordan Howden is in the game for Mathieu at safety.

Mathieu exited the Saints’ Week 2 game against the Cowboys due to calf cramps in the third quarter. Will Harris and Jordan Howden will see more opportunities while Mathieu is out.

Lattimore dealt with a hip injury all of training camp but managed to play in Week 1 against the Panthers. He lands on the injury report again this week, with a hamstring injury now added to his designation. The 28-year-old continues to be the Saints’ top corner, but Kool-Aid McKinstry will need to step up if Lattimore misses time. Safety Tyrann Mathieu (heel) also missed practice, denting the Saints’ secondary to start the week.

Mathieu has spent the last two seasons with the Saints, playing in all 34 regular season contests while totaling 166 tackles, 17 pass breakups, and seven interceptions. The former first-round pick continues to be at the top of his game despite heading into his 12th season and will be under contract with the team through 2025.

It’s no secret that the Saints have had issues staying under the cap in recent history. Mathieu is entering the last season of a three-year, $27 million deal, so it will be interesting to see if a reworked deal extends him, adds void years, or if some other salary cap gymnastics are done. The 31-year-old safety has started every game for the Saints since signing with the team, totaling seven interceptions in two seasons.

Tyrann Mathieu (foot) and S Marcus Maye (illness), both listed as questionable, are also expected to play. Hill was limited in practice throughout the week but is good to go for Week 8. Hill was playing a larger role in the offense with Juwan Johnson sideline for a few games, but Johnson is back, limiting the ceiling of the versatile tight end.

Mathieu had been limited in practice all week leading up to the Saints’ Thursday game. The short week may be why the Saints were cautious with Mathieu’s foot, but after three straight limited practices, Mathieu is officially listed as questionable to suit up against the Jaguars for Week 7.

The move clears $4.7 million in cap space for the Saints, who are $30 million over the cap. New Orleans also restructured the contracts of SS Marcus Maye, OLs Erik McCoy and Ryan Ramczyk and kicker Wil Lutz.