Getty Kansas City Chiefs Tyrann Mathieu celebrates a play during a November 2021 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
Philadelphia Eagles fans have been pushing hard for Tyrann Mathieu to put on a midnight green jersey. The team desperately needs a starting safety and the Honey Badger is a free agent. Let’s make a deal.
Mathieu remains unsigned after the Kansas City Chiefs let him walk in free agency. It’s a bit perplexing to see him sitting out there. Then again, three-time All-Pro defensive backs don’t grow on trees and the asking price appears extremely high.
Spotrac projected Mathieu’s average annual salary at $14.8 million. That price tag sounds way too expensive for a Philly franchise stuck in the “building” phase of their roster development, although don’t count the move out. The Eagles are one of eight teams who would “love to sign” Mathieu, per Jordan Schultz.
There is a lot to like about a starting safety tandem of Mathieu and Anthony Harris in Philadelphia. The 29-year-old would be a nice stop-gap and mentor to any young player selected in April’s draft. So when Mathieu posted a “grateful” Twitter message – one that included a green heart emoji – the internet sleuths had a field day. He was definitely making his pitch to play for the Eagles. Obviously.
“Being grateful doesn’t mean you have to love every part of your life,” Mathieu wrote. “It’s okay to feel hurt when something doesn’t turn out the way you thought it to be, especially for things you have given so much of your heart. What gratefulness means is that no matter what happens or what you go through, you are able to appreciate the journey, the greater purpose of those struggling moments and have faith in your heart that you are already enough and what you deserve will somehow find its way in the right time.”
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Howie Roseman Says Eagles ‘Building’
The idea of signing Mathieu to a lucrative contract would go against everything the Eagles have been preaching all offseason. General manager Howie Roseman doesn’t want to mortgage the future, instead he keeps preaching a message of “roster building.” This isn’t a team looking for one piece to put them over the championship hump.
“We’re building. We’re not like in a ‘go-for-it’ situation, ‘all-in’ situation,” Roseman told reporters, via NJ Advance Media. “We have too many resources, we have too many good young players to be like that. … If you’re building on a foundation, you don’t want to start taking pillars of that foundation off.”
Jeffrey Lurie explains why he gave Howie Roseman a 3-year extension #Eagles
Roseman’s actions have backed that up. The Eagles have been quieter than a monastery in free agency. And that vow of silence seems to be the new norm heading into the 2022 campaign.
Genard Avery, Boston Scott Sign Deals
The Pittsburgh Steelers officially signed Genard Avery to a one-year deal on Thursday. The 26-year-old linebacker spent the past three seasons in Philly before hitting free agency. The Eagles traded a 2021 fourth-rounder to the Cleveland Browns to acquire Avery in 2019.
Meanwhile, Boston Scott officially inked a one-year contract to return to the Eagles on March 30. He rushed for 373 yards on the ground last season with 7 touchdowns. Scott was a key contributor down the stretch and made four starts when injuries put Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard on the shelf.