The Pittsburgh Steelers and all of SteelerNation have been patiently waiting on a decision from Tyrann Mathieu. There have been a few rumblings that the Steelers are interested in the Pro Bowl safety, but nothing concrete. Well that stopped Monday.
Mathieu speaking on the Jordy Culotta Show touched on his third time hitting the free agent market. Which is basically something that doesn't generally happen for a player of his stature.
"I'm really just kind of taking it easy," Mathieu said about his time exploring free agency. "Because like I'm a real football dude, so it's like, once I know I'm playing and once I know where I'm going, it's over. Like you can catch me on the flip side."
Then he spoke about different coaches calling him. And the Steelers Mike Tomlin was the one that came to mind.
"I mean, just being able to have this time with family though, it's cool. But I still try to enjoy the process. It's still cool talking to all the coaches, the different coaches, cause some of these guys man. Mike Tomlin calling your phone. He like 'Hey oh, this Mike T', you know, so just being able to talk to these guys, man."
ESPN reported last week that the Steelers were interested in Mathieu amongst others. But that was the last thing to be mentioned about him.
Mathieu went on to talk about wanting to be part of a good group of leaders. The Steers certainly have that in TJ Watt and Cam Heyward. And not to mention a fantastic leader in Tomlin.
"You want to be able to work with these guys. I mean, these guys that you spend a good part of your life with once you sign a contract. I've always been around guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Patrick Peterson, JJ Watt. So it's like if you ain't got those guys in the room, I don't know if I fit in the room."
As time marches on the longer Mathieu waits the cheaper he will presumably be when he signs. The Steelers could end up with Mathieu at a buyers price. We will see how it plays out in the coming weeks.
Mathieu starts talking about free agency around the 31:50 minute mark on the interview. View it here
