With the 3 p.m. Central Time franchise tag deadline passing on Tuesday, Houston Texans safety Tyrann Mathieu is now going to be a free agent on March 13.
Mathieu will join a safety class that includes the Seattle Seahawks’ Earl Thomas and the New York Giants’ Landon Collins, who went to the same school as Mathieu, LSU.
Of course, while Mathieu is technically scheduled to be a free agent on March 13, the reality is the two sides want to keep doing business together.
Mathieu has stated numerous times that he wants to remain with the Texans, and even his teammates have stated they want him to stay. Like with most decision surrounding the club, the Texans are trying to come to an agreement that both sides feel is equitable. Indeed the Texans have the fourth-highest cap space in the NFL, according to Over The Cap, at $74 million, but they have a certain young Pro Bowl quarterback’s contract extension to consider a couple of years from now when they make their projections.
With Mathieu and the Texans, it is only a matter of time. The former Arizona Cardinals’ 2013 third-round pick signed a one-year, $7 million deal to come to Houston in the 2018 offseason. Mathieu was later voted a team captain by the end of preseason, indicating the positive impact he had on the locker room.
Mathieu started all 16 games for the Texans and collected 89 combined tackles, 3.0 sacks, eight pass breakups, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. The Honey Badger proved he is still effective, and now the Texans have to lock him up to let the 26-year-old keep proving it in 2019 and beyond.
