What was once an unfounded rumor could now become a reality as the Baltimore Ravens reportedly have high odds of signing Tyrann Mathieu in 2022.
At the time of this writing, Mathieu and the Ravens have not been in contact, but Baltimore’s recent offseason moves suggest the team will look to boost its secondary by the start of the 2022 season.
The Ravens recently cut cornerback Tavon Young and declined to tender Chris Westry, and while Baltimore could still bring back Young or Westry at a cheaper price, nothing is guaranteed.
Signing Mathieu isn’t guaranteed, either, but the Ravens are projected to have the second-best odds of landing the superstar safety in free agency.
Tyrann Mathieu is (+300) to join the Baltimore Ravens
— PFF Bet (@PFF_Bet) March 10, 2022
(@BovadaOfficial) pic.twitter.com/tBif6VDyJW
The New Orleans Saints are the favorites with -120 odds, but the Ravens aren’t far behind at +300. Behind those two, the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts are tied with +450 odds, and Mathieu’s current team, the Kansas City Chiefs, have +600 odds of re-signing him.
The Ravens have a good chance of signing Tyrann Mathieu in 2022
After the Chiefs franchise tagged Orlando Brown and reportedly hasn’t yet offered Mathieu a contract extension, Mathieu has been rumored to test free agency in 2022. He’s been heavily linked to the Saints, who boast a top-10 defense, but he has a decent shot at landing in Baltimore too.
This offseason, a few Ravens players have already expressed their favorable opinions on potentially signing Mathieu, including Patrick Queen who tagged him on Twitter and added an extra fire emoji for good measure.
Two weeks ago, Pro Football Focus also predicted Mathieu would land in Baltimore and cited the Ravens’ secondary as desperately in need of a ballhawk like Mathieu.
But amid all the rumors, the Ravens’ own staff writer Ryan Mink admittedly “has no idea” if the team plans to target Mathieu this free agency. If it’s a question of money, though, Mink expects Baltimore to be able to clear enough cap space to “make a splash move” like signing Mathieu.
The Ravens have successfully landed high-profile free-agent safeties before (like Earl Thomas, despite Thomas ultimately being released a year later) and more recently, they made a run at Dolphins’ Xavien Howard last offseason.
When it comes to the secondary, the Ravens seem to have fewer qualms about spending big and especially prefer playmaking ballhawks of Mathieu’s caliber.
With DeShon Elliott ready to walk and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters returning from season-ending injuries, now is a good time as any to upgrade a secondary that ranked at the bottom of the league this past season.
Until talks between Mathieu and the Ravens actually materialize, we’ll take all these rumors with a grain of salt, but oddsmakers at least are optimistic about Mathieu’s chances of joining Baltimore.
May the odds be ever in the Ravens’ favor, and may Tyrann Mathieu finally become a Raven in 2022.