for himself when he joined his hometown NFL team, the New Orleans Saints, as a free agent in 2022.
First, the Honey Badger came closer to the possibility of retiring as a Saint, courtesy of reaching an agreement on a two-year contract extension that will keep him a Saint through 2025.
“I hope so,” Mathieu said Thursday. “But I would probably say more than that, I’ve got another chance to help these guys win. I’d say the last couple of years have kind of been underwhelming, to say the least. So to have another opportunity to suit back up with these guys, help this whole city win, that means a lot to me. So I’m excited about that opportunity.”
Second, Mathieu, who earned the franchise’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award last season, will be able to further contribute to his hometown. He had a year remaining on his initial deal before extending.
“I’ve made a lot of money in this league, I like the situation I’m in with the Saints,” said Mathieu, who tied for the team lead with four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), defended nine passes and had 75 tackles. His 33 interceptions since entering the league in 2013 are tied for the most in the NFL during that time.
“I think I’ve come along in the system – for me, that’s exciting,” he said. “And I think where I’m at in my life today, I would have just taken a one-year deal, took some off the top, but I love to be in New Orleans. I love to be around family, I love being able to be in the community, and not have to live out of town and come back in for a weekend or two. I’m here. That means a lot to me. I still feel like there’s a lot more for me to do in the community, so just having that extra year to do all of the things that I really want to do while I’m home, that was really important to me.
