Total Pro Sports
Hours after New Orleans Saints legend Jimmy Graham announced his retirement from football, Tyrann Mathieu unexpectedly followed suit.
On Tuesday morning, Jimmy Graham announced he was retiring after a 13-year NFL career. The five-time Pro Bowler went unsigned in 2022 and last played for the Saints in 2023, catching six passes for 39 yards and four touchdowns that year.
Hours later, Tyrann Mathieu announced in an Instagram post that he’s also hanging up the cleats after a 12-year career. The move is a mild surprise, as Mathieu signed a new two-year deal last offseason:
Graham played just one year of college football at Miami, but the Saints saw enough to use a third-round pick (95th overall) on him in 2010. He emerged as one of the best tight ends of his era, earning five Pro Bowl nods with 719 career receptions for 8,545 yards and 89 touchdowns.
Tyrann Mathieu spent his first five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (2013 to 2017) and one year with the Houston Texans before joining the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019. Mathieu helped KC to a Super Bowl 54 championship, earning his second First-team All-Pro selection that year.
Nicknamed the “Honey Badger”, Mathieu signed with the Saints in 2022 free agency. He was one of the few silver linings on a disappointing New Orleans team that went 7-10, 9-8 and 5-12 over his three years there.
Mathieu was raised by his grandparents, and later his aunt and uncle, following his grandfather’s passing. Mathieu’s mother was rarely in the picture, and his father was in prison for murder.
Many wondered if Mathieu had what it took to succeed in the pros, given his smaller 5-foot- 9 frame. But he overcame all the odds and put together a remarkable career headlined by a Super Bowl championship, three First-team All-Pro nods and a spot on the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team.
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