Tyrann Mathieu contract extension negotiations on hold

It was believed perhaps the Arizona Cardinals could have a new deal in place for safety Tyrann Mathieu, locking him up to a long-term deal beyond 2016, the final season of his rookie contract.

However, that has not happened, and according to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, discussions have been placed on hold.

The team has broken for the summer, as they wrapped up mini-camp and will not have players back until training camp. Rapoport said, according to sources, "they hoped to do a deal before they broke for the summer."

However, Rapoport followed up by saying, "that doesn’t mean it won’t happen before training camp.

"There is a lot to like here. The Cardinals have made it quite clear, despite coming off two torn ACLs, the Honey Badger is a player they believe is a face of the franchise they want to lock up for the long term."

Rapoport said he would be "surprised" if his eventual contract comes in less than $11 million per year. That would make him, in addition to the highest-paid safety in the league, one of the most highly-paid cornerbacks.

Mathieu doesn’t want to simply be slotted as a safety. He wants to be paid like a top defender. We have speculated on this site and on our podcast it will take about $12 million per year to get it done.

We keep hearing it is simply a matter of time. How much time will it actually take?