Tyrann Devine Mathieu (; born May 13, 1992) is an American former professional football safety who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "the Honey Badger" (after the mammal of the same name), Mathieu played college football for the LSU Tigers where he gained a reputation for causing turnovers, setting a Southeastern Conference record with 11 career forced fumbles. As a sophomore, he won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in college football, was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. Mathieu was dismissed from the LSU football program after that season due to a violation of team rules.
After spending a year out of football in 2012, he was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft, reuniting him in the defensive backfield with former college teammate Patrick Peterson. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and earned three invitations to the Pro Bowl. Mathieu has also been selected to the first-team All-Pro team three times and the second-team All-Pro team once, having been selected to both in 2019 (as a first-team defensive back and a second-team safety). Mathieu also played for the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs (where he was a member of the team that won Super Bowl LIV), and New Orleans Saints.
Early life A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Mathieu attended St. Augustine High School, where he played for the St. Augustine Purple Knights high school football team. He recorded 32 tackles, five interceptions, one sack and one fumble recovery as a senior.
While living in New Orleans' Central City, Mathieu was initially raised by his grandparents during the first five years of his life. His biological mother was absent the majority of the time and his biological father, Darrin Hayes, has been incarcerated for murder most of Mathieu's life. After his grandfather died in 1997, Mathieu was adopted by his uncle, Tyrone Mathieu, and aunt, Sheila Mathieu.
Mathieu also participated with the track and field team at St. Augustine High School. He was a member of the 4x100m relay team, and was one of Louisiana's top performers in the long jump and high jump. He recorded a personal best long jump in his final high school track meet with a mark of 23 ft 9.25 in (7.25 meters). That earned Mathieu a second-place finish at the 2010 LHSAA Track & Field State Championship. He also recorded a personal-best high jump of 6 ft 4 in (1.93 meters) in the prestigious 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl Track & Field Classic during his senior year, finishing in second place.
Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Mathieu was listed as the No. 13 cornerback in the nation in 2010.
College career
Mathieu accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Louisiana State University, where he played for coach Les Miles's LSU Tigers football team from 2010 to 2011.
2010 season As a true freshman in 2010, Mathieu played in all 13 games with one start. He finished the season with 57 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two interceptions. He was the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the 2011 Cotton Bowl Classic against Texas A&M after he recorded seven tackles, one tackle for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception, one sack, and one pass breakup.
2011 season At the end of the 2011 regular season, Mathieu had 77 total tackles (60 solo and 17 assists), 1.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries (two returned for a touchdown), and two interceptions. On special teams, Mathieu had 26 punt returns for 420 yards, with two returned for a touchdown.Individual Punt Returning Leaders, Fox Sports, December 4, 2011. On October 19, 2011, Mathieu was suspended for one game following a violation of LSU's drug policy. Mathieu was named the most valuable player of the 2011 SEC Championship Game. Mathieu earned the nickname "the Honey Badger" for his tenacious ability to play extremely tough football against much larger opponents as well as his dyed patch of blond hair on the top of his head in his college days which resembled the blond patch of hair on the back of a honey badger. This led to him being a Heisman Trophy finalist, eventually finishing fifth. On December 8, 2011, Mathieu was awarded the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the year's best defensive player in college football. This marked the second straight year an LSU defensive player won the nation's top defensive honor following Patrick Peterson in 2010.
2012: Dismissal On August 10, 2012, LSU head coach Les Miles announced that Mathieu would be dismissed from the football team due to a violation of team rules. News outlets reported that the dismissal was a result of repeated drug test failures, although Miles did not confirm those reports. Mathieu had formerly expressed an interest in returning to the program for the 2013 season. On August 17, 2012, Mathieu withdrew from LSU and entered a drug rehabilitation program in Houston, Texas. Mathieu's withdrawal was expected to last for the entire 2012–2013 academic year. However, on September 4, 2012, Mathieu ended his withdrawal and enrolled for fall semester classes. On October 25, 2012, Mathieu and three other LSU former players were arrested on possession of marijuana.
On November 29, 2012, it was announced that Mathieu would enter the NFL draft. Mathieu participated at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine on February 26, 2013. He ran a 4.50 40-yard dash, had 4 reps of 225 pounds, a 34-inch vertical, and a 117-inch broad jump. He also later participated at his pro day on March 27, 2013.
Professional career Pre-draft Prior to the 2012 season, Mathieu was ranked as the third best cornerback prospect in the upcoming 2013 NFL draft by NFL analyst Chad Reuter. On November 29, 2012, Mathieu stated his intentions to enter the draft. Mathieu attended the NFL Combine and completed all of the combine and positional drills. On March 28, 2013, Mathieu attended LSU's pro day, but chose to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills. He was projected to be a second or third round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Mathieu was ranked as the tenth best cornerback prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals selected Mathieu in the third round (69th overall) of the 2013 NFL draft. Mathieu was the sixth safety drafted in 2013. On April 26, 2013, it was reported that Cardinals' head coach Bruce Arians stated that Mathieu would be playing free safety although it was widely expected he would play slot cornerback coming out of college.
On May 10, 2013, Mathieu stated during an interview while watching former teammates practice at the Senior Bowl that he wanted to remove himself from any association with his "Honey Badger" nickname. (see "Personal life")
2013
On May 23, 2013, the Arizona Cardinals signed Mathieu to a four–year, $3.05 million contract that included $817,187 guaranteed and an initial signing bonus of $265,000.
Throughout training camp, Mathieu competed to be the first-team nickelback and starting free safety. He competed to be a starting free safety against Yeremiah Bell and Rashad Johnson. Head coach Bruce Arians named Mathieu the backup free safety to begin the regular season, behind starting free safety Rashad Johnson and strong safety Jeremiah Bell. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles also named him the first-team nickelback.
On September 8, 2013, Mathieu made his professional regular season debut in the Arizona Cardinals' season-opener at the St. Louis Rams and made seven solo tackles and made his first career forced fumble in their 27–24 loss. He made his first career regular-season tackle and forced a fumble on St Louis Rams' tight end Jared Cook before Cook crossed into the endzone for a touchdown and it was recovered by Cardinals' linebacker Karlos Dansby for a touchback in the first quarter. The following week, he earned his first career start as a nickelback and made six solo tackles and a pass deflection during a 25–21 victory against the Detroit Lions in Week 2. On September 22, 2013, Mathieu recorded ten combined tackles (nine solo), deflected a pass, and made his first career interception off a pass thrown by quarterback Drew Brees, that was initially intended for wide receiver Lance Moore, in the third quarter of a 31–7 loss at the New Orleans Saints. In Week 4, Mathieu earned his first career start at free safety and remained the starter for the rest of the season after Rashad Johnson sustained an injury to his finger while covering a punt the previous week. He finished the Cardinals' 13–10 win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 with six solo tackles. On October 6, 2013, he recorded five solo tackles and made his first career sack on quarterback Cam Newton for a ten-yard loss in the second quarter during the Cardinals' 22–6 win against the Carolina Panthers. On December 8, 2013, Mathieu made one solo tackle and a pass deflection before exiting the Cardinals' 30–10 victory against the St. Louis Rams with a leg injury. It was later determined Mathieu tore his left ACL and LCL while returning a punt during the third quarter. On December 10, 2013, the Arizona Cardinals placed Mathieu on injured reserve officially ending his rookie season as he was inactive for the last three games (Weeks 15–17). He completed his rookie season in 2013 with 68 combined tackles (65 solo), nine pass deflections, two interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble in 13 games and 11 starts. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
2014
Mathieu was not able to participate in training camp due to his recovery. He was inactive for the Cardinals' season opener but joined the team in Week 2. Upon his return, head coach Bruce Arians named Mathieu the backup free safety behind Rashad Johnson. On September 21, 2014, Mathieu collected a season-high six combined tackles (five solo) during a 23–14 win against the San Francisco 49ers. On November 2, 2014, Mathieu recorded five combined tackles (four solo), a pass deflection, and made his lone interception of the season off a pass by Brandon Weeden to tight end Jason Witten during a 28–17 win at the Dallas Cowboys. In Week 10, Mathieu became the starting free safety and replaced Tony Jefferson in the starting lineup. On November 30, 2014, Mathieu made three combined tackles (two solo) in the Cardinals' 29–18 loss against the Atlanta Falcons, but exited in the third quarter after sustaining a thumb injury. He underwent surgery on his thumb and was expected to miss two games (Weeks 13–14). He finished the season with 39 combined tackles (35 solo), four pass deflections, an interception, and a fumble recovery in 13 games and six starts.
2015
Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles accepted the head coaching position with the New York Jets and was replaced by James Bettcher. Throughout training camp, Mathieu competed against Rashad Johnson to be the starting free safety. Head coach Bruce Arians officially named him the starting free safety to start the regular season, alongside strong safety Deone Bucannon.