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The Arizona Cardinals were unable to make a restructure work and will be releasing Tyrann Mathieu according to Jay Glazer.
Cardinals have informed the Tyrann Mathieau The Honey Badger they are releasing him
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) March 14, 2018
After entering into contract negotiations in order to restructure and make Mathieu’s 2018 and more importantly 2019 cap hit more palatable, the team and Mathieu’s agent Tom Condon were unable to come to an agreement.
This doesn’t mean it is the end of the era of Tyrann Mathieu in Arizona… except it is unlikely after Mathieu and the team could not get a restructure done that he’ll want to be back in Arizona.
Mathieu was the final piece of Steve Keim’s initial draft class in 2013 and was really the only one that was any good. The rest have bounced around the league while Mathieu received his second contract, made a couple of Pro Bowls and was an All Pro in his time with the Arizona Cardinals.
Maybe the biggest impact Mathieu made was within the fanbase and community where he was highly active and loved.
It is a bittersweet goodbye for the Cardinals and Mathieu.
As a fan, there was not a single player I liked to watch on game days more than Mathieu. His work and ability to change the outlook of a game was something rarely quantifiable.
Good luck wherever you end up, Honey Badger and I wish you health and success.
UPDATE
The Arizona Cardinals did not designate Tyrann Mathieu as a June 1st cut, so there's not additional cap savings over the $4.8 million.