When safety Tyrann Mathieu tore his ACL in Week 15 of the regular season, General Manager Steve Keim said it made for a “deflated” locker room while the team was simultaneously celebrating their NFC West title.
Given how much Mathieu did for the defense in the weeks before his injury, it’s not hard to understand why the team felt that way. Mathieu’s production covered the entire stat sheet the way he covers the entire field when he’s healthy and Keim said the team is in no hurry to deal with the deflation that would come with his departure from the roster.
During an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7, Keim said that one of the team’s goals for the offseason is to sign Mathieu to an extension before he plays out the final year of his rookie deal.
“It’s hard to say that that we’ll be able to get something done for sure, but we certainly have that goal in mind and there’s no doubt that this organization wants Tyrann Mathieu to be a fixture here for years,” Keim said.
Mathieu has expressed a desire to remain in Arizona, so the chances of getting a deal done look pretty good. It wouldn’t be too surprising if serious talks were to wait until a bit later in the offseason, though, as the Cardinals would probably like to see how Mathieu’s rehab has progressed before putting the finishing touches on a new deal.