'Tyrann Mathieu to Cowboys'? It's Analyst's 'Dream' Signing
FRISCO - Former LSU and Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Marcus Spears isn't make a prediction; rather, he's just expressing a dream.
"I want Tyrann Mathieu to be the safety for the Dallas Cowboys,'' says Spears, now an analyst on ESPN.
Spears remains an unabashed fan of the Dallas team that drafted him in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Spears played with Dallas for eight of his nine seasons in the NFL before making a successful move to TV, working in part as a regular on ESPN’s NFL Live.
Spears gets to talk about the NFL at large, of course. But there is always a sort of pep in his step when he gets to talk about the Cowboys and what is going on with the team. ... and that probably goes double when the talk involves a fellow LSU product.
When the 2022 NFL season begins, the "Honey Badger'' will be 30 years old. Most observers don't think that should be much of an obstacle as he prepares for yet another pay day. He was a standout in recent years with the Kansas City Chiefs, and he's probably on the radar of an assortment of bidders, maybe including his hometown New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Safety Marcus Williams just signed a five-year, $70 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens. That may set the price for what any other standout safety is looking for. And, as Tyrann said on his departure from the Chiefs (a money decision) ...
"Replacing me is easy. Getting them to do the same thing I did is damn near impossible.''
A move to bring Mathieu to Dallas - which we see as wildly unlikely - would in theory explain the Cowboys' delay in closing a deal with safety Jayron Kearse, who the team does wish to bring back. (The Cowboys have re-signed safety Malik Hooker.)
Spears is surely speaking for Cowboys Nation here; Mathieu is a three-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro safety who in 2021 had three interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and 76 tackles. The Cowboys once passed on the idea of Mathieu, foolishly claiming he doesn't "fit our scheme.''
This time around? He probably doesn't fit our budget.'' But that doesn't mean an ol' Cowboy can't dream.
