Tyrann Mathieu Spends a Ton of Money on NFL Tickets For Friends and Family

Josh Wilson | May 10, 2024

Oct 1, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) wears a / Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

Tyrann Mathieu has to love the blessing of being able to play professional football for his hometown NFL team, but there are some downsides.

Mathieu, a defensive back for the New Orleans Saints who had stops in Arizona and Kansas City, where he was named to multiple All-Pro teams, signed with the Saints in 2022. He grew up in New Orleans and played college football for the LSU Tigers.

But there are a few downsides to it all. Speaking to Ross Tucker on his podcast, Mathieu said one of the major downsides is the high cost to get his friends and family to games.

"I only can get so many tickets, and then after a while it's like, 'Yo, why am I spending $30,000 on tickets?' you know what I mean?" Mathieu said. "That's definitely the worst part about it. And the family section after the game, right? As you know, Ross, like they only give you a certain number of [access wristbands]. Everybody can't bring all they family down after the game. So, it's like now I got family members fighting each other, everybody trying to get on the field, they think Drew Brees still down there, I say, 'Drew Brees don't play for us anymore, man, he's not down there.'"

Brees retired after the 2020 season but maintains a place of reverence for most football fans in Louisiana after leading the Saints to its first franchise Super Bowl win in the 2010 season.

30 grand might sound like a lot to spend on tickets, but the bill runs up quick when there are eight games and potentially several family members to get nice seats for.

It's great to play near family and familiar places, but every pro has its con.