Mathieu ready to take next step after Cardinals, Peterson
Mar 20, 2018, 10:41 AM | Updated: 3:32 pm
From the time Tyrann Mathieu arrived at LSU in 2010 through his final days with the Arizona Cardinals, he had a mentor and teammate in Patrick Peterson.
The partnership came to a close on March 14 when the Cardinals released Mathieu after he refused to take a pay cut in the offseason. Instead he signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Houston Texans.
“Pat was instrumental for me. He was always that big brother I never truly had,” Mathieu said in his introductory press conference. “I leaned on him a lot and I benefited off him, especially early on in my career in Arizona.”
In six seasons together the duo became a formidable tandem in the secondary, first winning a Cotton Bowl in college then serving as the driving forces of a defense that carried Arizona within a game of the Super Bowl in 2015.
While the two had success playing alongside one another, Mathieu was still the Robin to Peterson’s Batman.
By signing with Houston, Mathieu is preparing to take the next step. More notably, his first step without Peterson present to mentor him.
“I’m coming to a new team and maybe it’s my turn to be that leader for one of these younger guys,” Mathieu told the media. “I take pride in it … I think I’m fit to be a leader.”
