The Arizona Cardinals have a lot of impressive pieces on their defense and are reportedly working hard to lock up one of the key pieces before the offseason really begins.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Arizona is "deep in negotiations" with Tyrann Mathieu to try and work out a new deal with the safety, one that could even make him the highest-paid player at the position.
"They view him as one of the faces of the franchise and their community efforts," Rapoport said. "And really the coaches and personnel people they just love him. From what I am told a new payday is expected to make him among the highest paid, if not the highest-paid safety in the NFL and don't be surprised, if all goes well, if this is done before everyone breaks for the summer."
Three years into Mathieu's career it's not hard to imagine Arizona ponying up to pay him, even with the off-field issues he dealt with in college and the injuries he's dealt with since coming to the NFL.
Mathieu matured into a leader on the Cardinals and is one of the best off-field guys the team has; he couldn't have landed in a better spot. (You better believe he's a role model for moving forward.)
On the field, the man formerly known as the Honey Badger is the perfect modern-day defensive back. He can play safety, he can play corner, he can play in the slot, he can blitz the quarterback and he's one of the best natural ballhawks in the entire league.
Plus, the safety market isn't exactly stacked at the top. Here are the five-highest paid safeties (based on annual value at OverTheCap.com):
| Player | Team | Total $ Value | Average Annual $ | Total Guaranteed $ |
| Earl Thomas | Seahawks | $40.0 M | $10.0 M | $14.22 M |
| Devin McCourty | Patriots | $47.5 M | $9.5 M | $22.0 M |
| Jairus Byrd | Saints | $54.0 M | $9.0 M | $18.3 M |
| Mark Barron | Rams | $45.0 M | $9.0 M | $15.0 M |
| Malcolm Jenkins | Eagles | $35.0 | $8.7 M | $16.0 M |
So if you buy that the Cards are willing to make him the highest-paid safety in the league (he is only 24) and you're ballparking a contract for Mathieu, you're talking about a deal that's north of $10 million a year.
$55 million for five years with $20 million guaranteed wouldn't be out of the question for a team buying a modern defensive weapon (DW is a better term for Mathieu's position really) through his prime.
The incentives and guaranteed money will be interesting to see: obviously Arizona wants him on the team but given his history the team could opt to make him earn certain parts of the deal.
On the other hand, the Cards haven't shied away from making players the highest-paid guy at their position before -- Arizona handed cornerback Patrick Peterson a five-year, $70 million deal with $40 million guaranteed two offseasons ago.
