New Orleans Saints defensive back Tyrann Mathieu is walking away from the NFL.
Mathieu announced his retirement Tuesday following 12 seasons in the league:
“From my first snap in college to my final play in the NFL, this journey has been nothing short of a blessing,” he wrote. “Football gave me purpose, discipline, and memories that will stay with me forever. But more than anything, it gave me a community.”
This was unexpected from New Orleans’ perspective, as general manager Mickey Loomis told reporters the team was surprised and found out in the last few days.
“I just wish him all the best,” Loomis said while also revealing the team is open to adding a safety to replace him before the season.
Mathieu first became a household name at LSU when he was an All-American and finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting during the 2011 season despite being a defensive player. He took home the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player and led the Tigers to the BCS national championship game.
However, LSU dismissed the star defensive back from its program for multiple rules violations ahead of the 2012 campaign.
The Arizona Cardinals still saw enough from his 2011 campaign to select him with a third-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft. He wasted little time making an impact and finished fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
It was the start of a lengthy NFL career that included stops on the Cardinals, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints. He was a three-time First-Team All-Pro selection, three-time Pro Bowler and member of the Hall of Fame 2010s team as a game-changing playmaker at the back end of multiple defenses.
Mathieu, who was nicknamed Honey Badger in college, also helped lead the Chiefs to the Super Bowl title during the 2019 campaign.
In all, he finished his career with 838 tackles, 36 interceptions, 100 passes defended, eight fumble recoveries, seven forced fumbles and four defensive touchdowns. He was also notably durable and played double-digit games in each of his 12 seasons.
The 2025 season would have been Mathieu’s fourth with the Saints after he appeared in all 17 contests in each of the last three. He finished last season with 62 tackles, seven passes defended, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery and figured to be a starter once again in 2025.
That will no longer be the case, as he is retiring from the game.
