Tyrann Mathieu retires
By: Jake Rajala
In utter surprise, Tyrann Mathieu retired. Was he burnt out, injured, or was the 33 year old not optimistic about the team’s short term outlook? With that said, I’m going to list potential replacements for the honey badger.
Marcus Williams
“Hello darkness, my old friend”
Marcus Williams left on a high note with the Saints. He had a carer high 74 tackles and eight pass deflections. Williams can cover a lot of ground quickly. The drawback is that he has really struggled to stay healthy – as he only played 10 games in 2022, 11 games in 2023, and 11 games in 2024.
Jabril Peppers (trade)
Jabril Peppers is a fanatstic hitter and one of the most versatile safeties in the league. He registered a PFF grade of 82.3 last season, which was 7th among safeties! Derwin James was quite impressive under Brandon Staley. Perhaps Peppers could have similar success.
Justin Simmons
Justin Simmons may be pricy, but that shouldn’t hold back Micky Loomis from signing him. After all, they need help in their secondary, whether it’s at cornerback or safety. Simmons had seven pass deflections last season. He led the league in interceptions in 2022 with six.
Vonn Bell
Vonn Bell is another safety that played in New Orleans. Bell is a versatile chess piece, as he can play in the box and deep back. He’s similar to Kenny Vaccaro, who played for the Saints for a short time. Of course, he’s similar to the Honey Badger, too. Bell is still 30, so he has a few years left in the tank.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (trade)
CGJ may be a long shot given his talent and demand. However, he is no stranger to moving around. Of course, he is also a former Saint. He was partially responsible for Tom Brady struggling against the black and gold. He is a Super Bowl Champion and he had six interceptions and 12 pass deflections last season!
Honorable Mention:
Kevin Byard (trade)
Kevin Byard is on a Chicago Bears team that is younger than the Saints. Hence, Byard may flip to a Saints team that doesn’t have two 13+ win teams in their division. Byard has a career-high 130 tackles and seven pass deflections last season.
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