Tyrann Mathieu Worth Every Guaranteed Dollar of New Deal with Cardinals

Tyrann Mathieu has come a long way in a short time in the NFL—from a risky third-round pick in the 2013 draft to perhaps the league's best defensive back.

The Arizona Cardinals made sure on Tuesday that there won't be any contract-year drama with Mathieu. As ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted, the Cardinals have agreed to terms with Mathieu on a five-year, $62.5 million extension that includes a whopping $40 million in guarantees:

It's a deal that makes Mathieu easily the NFL's highest-paid safety, per Spotrac, and while the Redbirds just sank a lot of guaranteed money into a player who already has two ACL tears, it's hard to argue that he isn't worth every penny.

As Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 pointed out, the guaranteed money Mathieu received dwarfs every other player at the position:

Granted, Mathieu isn't really a safety. Moving all over the secondary for the Cardinals, the LSU product is every bit as apt to line up as a cornerback as he is to slot behind one. In fact, when issuing its player grades for 2015, Pro Football Focus graded Mathieu as a cornerback.

A cornerback who received the highest grade in the league (28.1) at the position by a large margin.

When NFL.com conducted its recent "summer games" breakdown of the NFL's best players at each position, however, Mathieu was slotted with the safeties.

Once again, he was recognized as being the best in the NFL at what he does, with Eric Davis writing, "Honey Badger can line up anywhere on the field, across from any player."

Safety Rank	Name (Team)	AAS	CB Rank	Name (Team)	AAS
1.	T. Mathieu (ARI)	$12.50M	1.	J. Norman (WAS)	$15.00M
2.	E. Berry (KC)	$10.80M	2.	D. Revis (NYJ)	$14.02M
3.	H. Smith (MIN)	$10.25M	3.	P. Peterson (ARI)	$14.01M
4.	E. Thomas (SEA)	$10.00M	4.	R. Sherman (SEA)	$14.00M
5.	D. McCourty (NE)	$9.50M	8.	T. Mathieu (ARI)	$12.50M

What makes Mathieu so hard to classify is also what makes him such a special talent. He can cheat up close to the line of scrimmage to stuff the run or even rush the passer. He can drop back deep to cover tight ends or give Cardinals cornerbacks help over the top. Or he can slide into the slot and cover some of the NFL's most dangerous receivers.

He does every one of those things at an elite level. Simply put, when Mathieu is on the field, he's a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

Kevin Zimmerman of PFF went that one farther, recently naming Mathieu the NFL's most dangerous slot weapon—on defense or offense:

"

He has the ability to match up with smaller, shifty receivers but also bigger, more powerful TEs and excel against either. He is the defensive version of the matchup problem players that offenses have been exploiting for years to get favorable matchups in the slot, and he may be the first player to tilt the balance the other direction.

"

If there's a problem with Mathieu, it's that "on the field" part. The 24-year-old has seen two of his three NFL seasons ended in December by ACL tears, and $40 million is a lot of guaranteed coin to give a player whose status for Week 1 remains in doubt.

Mathieu told Craig Grailou of Arizona Sports he expects to be back on the practice field in a month or so and ready to go when the Cardinals open the season against the New England Patriots. 

"I don't think it's going to take me as long once I get back practicing, get back in the rhythm of things," he said. "I don't think it's going to take me as long to get that confidence and to ultimately be 100 percent."

If nothing else, the size of this deal would seem to indicate that isn't just wishful thinking on his part. Arizona general manager Steve Keim is one of the best in the business. He wouldn't write a check that big if there were serious concerns about Mathieu's knees in the short or long term.

It also indicates the changing face of today's NFL—changes that Mathieu helped bring about. Ever since he burst into prominence, other NFL teams have been desperately searching for their own Swiss army knife in the secondary.

The Washington Redskins (with DeAngelo Hall) and Baltimore Ravens (with Lardarius Webb) are trying veteran cornerbacks at free safety in training camp this summer, at least in part with the hope they can kick to the slot in the three-wide sets that have become commonplace in today's pass-wacky game.

Jalen Ramsey was one of the highest-rated prospects in the 2016 draft (and a top-five pick) partly because of his ability to hit like a safety and cover like a shutdown corner.

Everyone wants a Honey Badger, and the Cardinals made sure theirs isn't going anywhere.

For his part, Mathieu appears to be taking his success in stride. When NFL.com named him the league's top safety, he deferred to Earl Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks:

On Tuesday, his response to his newfound wealth was even more succinct:

Well, the Cardinals are also blessed to have a player with his skill level and versatility prowling the back of their defense as they begin what they hope will be a Super Bowl run in 2016.

They showed that they know it Tuesday.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPSharks.