Former Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu was not happy to get released by the Arizona Cardinals a year ago. Due to be paid a $5 million roster bonus and a $6 million salary, the Cardinals offered him $8 million to stay.
He declined and ended up signing a one-year deal with the Houston Texans for less than that. However, he wanted to prove himself in a new setting in a scheme that would allow him to make plays surrounded by other talented players.
It was a bet on himself.
It paid off. After playing in all 16 games for the second season in a row, he had 89 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions and got himself paid.
According to multiple reports, he is going to sign a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs worth up to $42 million.
The up-to $14 million per year average is greater than the average of the original contract extension he signed with the Cardinals in 2016.
He has signed three new contracts since 2016 — the extension with the Cardinals, the one-year deal with Houston last year and now the reported deal with the Chiefs.
Now he gets paid handsomely on one of the most talented teams in the league with expectations of winning.
Some thought Mathieu was foolish for taking less money than the Cardinals offered. Based on what happened in Arizona and how Mathieu fared, he clearly made the right choice.
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