The Baltimore Ravens have a number of internal free agents to make decisions on this offseason, but one external name they should strongly consider targeting is safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Mathieu is a player who should be very familiar to Ravens fans. The team was reportedly heavily interested in signing him back in 2019 before they pivoted and signed Earl Thomas.
For multiple reasons, the Thomas deal didn’t work out. But the Ravens will have the opportunity to right their wrongs this offseason with Mathieu set to hit free agency.
Ravens players have already started recruiting Mathieu to come to Baltimore, and there’s no question that this Ravens secondary could use a player of his talents.
The biggest question might just be price.
Could the Ravens afford to sign Tyrann Mathieu?
The Ravens are projected to have just over $14 million in cap space this offseason, although they will almost certainly add to that total by releasing players like Alejandro Villanueva and restructuring contracts.
Still, they have a few in-house free agents to worry about as well. Someone like Bradley Bozeman should probably take precedence. Mathieu’s market value is projected at around three years, $45 million or roughly $14 million per season.
That would be a tough pill for the cap-strapped Ravens to swallow, but if they can make it work, the upgrade would be significant.
Mathieu is exactly the type of player the Ravens need on their defense. His competitive attitude is tailor-made for the Ravens defense and his skill set is just what this secondary is missing.
Chuck Clark is a good player, and DeShon Elliot was a welcomed surprise, but the Ravens have really missed that true free safety since Thomas departed. Mathieu would give them that and more.
He has the versatility to line up in numerous positions and serve as a valuable chess piece for new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. Again, the issue here isn’t talent or fit, it’s money.
But if the Ravens are looking to make a big splash in free agency this offseason, their top target should be Tyrann Mathieu. Let’s finally bring the Honey Badger to Baltimore.