Three Reasons Tyrann Mathieu Likely Won't Land In Chicago

The Arizona Cardinals recently released their former Pro Bowl safety Tyrann Mathieu. At just 25 years old, with four years of NFL experience, Mathieu is entering the prime of his career. Arizona reportedly released him because he wasn't willing to take a pay cut. With two years left on his contract, Mathieu was set to get $18.8 million guaranteed to him on March 16th but the Cardinals cut him before that could happen after they failed to renegotiate a new contract. So, now the NFL world is waiting to see where he lands with Chicago fans excited about another possible huge free agent splash by Ryan Pace. Unfortunately, that excitement is likely to end with disappointment because Mathieu really doesn't fit with the Bears. Here's three reasons why.

1. Mathieu claims he wants to WIN above anything else and Chicago has finished last in their division for four straight years. "It's not all about money for me," said Mathieu, ranked No. 5 in NFL.com's Top 101 Free Agents of 2018. "I want to go somewhere where I can be completely immersed in football, and it's not too much about anything but winning. I want to be a part of winning culture, where you feel that all the time. That's all I want." A winning culture is something Pace is trying to build but definitely not something the Bears currently have.
2. Nobody has selected Chicago as a possible landing spot. Taking into account his salary demands along with his eagerness to win, Mathieu has the ability to pick almost any team in the NFL and nobody expects it to be the Bears. Several teams have been named as possible candidates to land Mathieu by the national media and Chicago isn't one of them. Favorites include the Jets, Steelers, Patriots, Panthers and Seahawks.
3. Contract demands do not fit Pace's history. In 2017, Mathieu was the second highest paid safety in the entire NFL and that likely won't change when he negotiates his new deal. Pace has been surgical when negotiating contracts and keeping Chicago's salary cap under control. Mike Glennon was a small mistake, but look how easily he was wiped away because his contract allowed the Bears to do what they needed. Mathieu's new deal might make him the highest paid safety in the NFL, possibly NFL history, that isn't a road we've seen Pace go down. A perfect example is Jimmy Garoppolo. Everyone expected Chicago to be the perfect landing spot but most people failed to realize that he was going to need a gigantic payday upon leaving the Patriots. Now he's currently the highest paid player in the NFL for 2018 while Chicago signed several new free agents and rebuilt a large portion of their roster using their salary cap space. This will be Mathieu's second contract, usually the time when NFL players try to cash in on blockbuster deals with multi-year security.

Most Bears fans would love to see Mathieu in orange and blue, including me, but the possibility of this deal seems low given his salary demands and Pace's history in Chicago. Something to watch though, that could give this deal hope, is what happens with Bryce Callahan. If the Bears lose him, their need for a playmaking safety / nickelback could drastically increase overnight. Again though, the chances of Mathieu landing in Chicago are very low so temper your expectations. He has a long history of injury concerns, he will demand a gigantic payday and he wants to win. Don't bet on the Bears to win this race.