In one of the more surprising NFL offseason moves thus far, the Arizona Cardinals released All-Pro safety, Tyrann Mathieu for salary-cap reasons. Afterward, the safety signed a modest one-year, $7 million deal with the Houston Texans.
Now that the dust has settled, Mathieu explained why he chose the Texans over any other teams that showed interest, taking less money to do so.
Mathieu on leaving money on the table to join Watt, Clowney and #Texans’ defense. pic.twitter.com/kV976Rq0xI
— Brian T. Smith (@BTSmithUK) March 19, 2018
Outside of money, sometimes happiness is based on your surroundings. This move for Mathieu brought him closer to his family in the south. It also teams him up with two ultra-talented defensive players. When healthy, Watt and Clowney a quarterback’s worst nightmare. We can see the appeal here for Mathieu.
Just look at how Watt welcomed Mathieu to Houston.
Come on over bro @Mathieu_Era
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) March 14, 2018
The Texans presented an exciting change of scenery, and it will be fun to watch Mathieu make an impact. Mathieu is only 25-years-old and takes with him to Houston 305 combined tackles, 41 defended passes, 11 interceptions and one touchdown.
If Mathieu can stay healthy, the fresh start should do his career wonders.