National Football League

Tyrann Mathieu to sign three-year deal with Saints

Updated May. 3, 2022 8:23 p.m. ET

Louisiana's beloved son is coming home.

After a lengthy recruitment throughout the NFL offseason, All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu has made a decision about where he'll play next. Mathieu, a former Heisman trophy finalist at LSU and standout safety at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, is going back to the state where it all started.

Mathieu agreed to a three-year, $33 million deal with the New Orleans Saints on Monday, with $18 million in guaranteed money. The deal's stipulations and incentives are in the process of being finalized before Mathieu puts pen to paper.

The "Honey Badger" started all but two games during his three-year stint with the Kansas City Chiefs. A heady, hard-hitting ball hawk, Mathieu brought home two first-team All-Pro awards during his tenure in K.C. and received his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod in 2021. He registered 213 combined tackles, 27 passes deflected, 13 interceptions and two defensive TDs in those three seasons.

Mathieu will join new Saints safety Marcus Maye in the secondary, as the group looks to replace the production lost with the departures of Marcus Williams and Malcolm Jenkins (retired).

Mathieu has 610 career tackles, 76 passes defended, 26 INTs and 10 sacks in his nine-year career. He turns 30 on May 13.