Tyrann Mathieu’s legacy: What ‘Honey Badger’ lacked in size, he made up for in flair, ferocity and versatility

The “Honey Badger” is hanging it up and returning to his natural habitat.

Tyrann Mathieu, most recently with the New Orleans Saints, retired Tuesday after 12 seasons in the NFL. Mathieu first gained fame not far from where his career ended, starring for the LSU Tigers down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Despite standing only 5-foot-9, Mathieu’s ferocious playing style became a phenomenon and earned him that “Honey Badger” nickname.

You couldn’t take your eyes off him whenever Mathieu, with trademark dyed blonde streaks in his hair, was on the field for the Tigers, whether at nickelback where he started his career as a freshman or at punt returner where he had two touchdowns as a sophomore. 

He was the heart of a stout LSU defense that held Alabama to only two field goals in the “Game of the Century” win in 2011. As just a sophomore, the feisty defensive back was a Heisman Trophy finalist and won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive player. He led the SEC in back-to-back seasons in forced fumbles.

LSU lost the rematch to Alabama in that year’s national championship game, but there was every reason to expect the Tigers would be right back competing for another title the following year with Mathieu leading the defense. His versatility was so unique that he helped reinvent what a nickelback could be at the college level. The “Honey Badger” was so good so fast that it wasn’t difficult to see him leaving Baton Rouge as LSU’s greatest defensive player ever.

Unfortunately, LSU head coach Les Miles kicked Mathieu off the team ahead of the 2012 season for violating team rules, reportedly for multiple failed drug tests. In a blink, one of college football’s most tantalizing and exciting players was out of the game. He would later go to a drug rehabilitation facility and still take classes at LSU, although he would never suit up for the Tigers again. LSU was still very good in that 2012 season, finishing 10-3 with losses to Florida, Alabama and Clemson, but it’s not hard to wonder what could have been if Mathieu was still patrolling the field for the Tigers’ defense.

There are so few players now who can really inspire and captivate fans the way Mathieu did during his two-year stint at LSU. The “Honey Badger” was must-see TV every time he stepped on the field.

‘The glue’ of a Super Bowl defense

Mathieu’s off-field issues resulted in him dropping to the third round (69th overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft, yet he still became one of the most interesting players in the league. He played his first five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, stopped in Houston for a year and then made a huge impact on the Kansas City Chiefs from 2019-2021 before finishing his career in New Orleans.

As a 5-foot-9, 190-pound defensive back, Mathieu was somehow one of the most physical and at times imposing players in the NFL. A man that size shouldn’t really be able to do many of the things he did in and around the box, but his style of play, his instincts and his sheer fearlessness made it so.

Mathieu’s rare ability to move all over the formation and not just play but excel in a wide variety of roles allowed him to collect an eclectic mix of statistical accomplishments: He’s a three-time Pro-Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro. He made the 2010s All-Decade Team.

He’s one of just five defensive backs in history with at least 35 interceptions and at least 45 tackles for loss, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Brian Dawkins, Charles Woodson and Ronde Barber as well as perennial Pro Bowler Harrison Smith. Add in 25 quarterback hits, and the list pares down to just two players: Mathieu and Smith. Add in 100 passes defensed, and it’s Mathieu standing alone.

Mathieu played 12 seasons in the NFL, and he played each of three different positions on at least 29% of his snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He was, alternately and simultaneously, a slot corner, a box safety and a deep safety, and he aligned wherever his team needed him to on a particular play or throughout a particular season.

Mathieu’s defensive alignment (NFL career)

As you can see, he spent a plurality of his time in the slot, and in six of his 12 seasons, he splayed more often as a slot corner than in any other alignment. But he also had three seasons during which he played more often as a box safety or hybrid linebacker than he did anywhere else, and another three where he played more as a deep safety than anywhere else — including, interestingly, the final two seasons of his career. 

The unpredictability made it at times nearly impossible to account for Mathieu in your offense — a task that also absolutely had to be undertaken for that very same reason.

Mathieu also played a key role on some fantastic defenses, including and especially in transforming the Chiefs’ unit during their 2019 Super Bowl season — the first of the Patrick Mahomes era. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo referred to him as “the glue” of the defense at the time, and head coach Andy Reid went even further in his praise.

“This organization was blessed to have Eric Berry … a great leader, tough, all those things,” Reid said. “Before that I was with Brian Dawkins. I’ve been lucky to be around some really good safeties. They’re all different in their own way but they’re all great football players with great instincts and good leaders. They lead a different way. This kid here, he’s a special kid. He’s not the biggest guy. You’re not looking at one of those huge safeties but, man, is he a good football player. He just gets it.”

Mathieu was certainly not one of those huge safeties. He was exactly the opposite. His impact, though, far exceeded his stature.