Eight months ago, Tyrann Mathieu's tenure in Arizona ended, and not on the best of terms.
Today, the Honey Badger is a member of a Houston Texans team that went 11-5 in 2018 and won the AFC South division. On Saturday, Mathieu and the Texans will host the Indianapolis Colts in a Wild Card game that will begin Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Arizona time on ABC15.
But Mathieu still hasn't forgotten about how things ended in the Valley.
During a live feed on his Instagram page in late November, Mathieu responded to a user who wanted the Honey Badger to come back to AZ. The video has been deleted but the relevant portion of the video was saved by an Instagram user and reported by Cards Wire at USA Today.
"Man, I'm not coming back to Arizona after what y'all did to me. Y'all crazy, man. Y'all people did me wrong in Arizona, man. I'll never come back to Arizona," he said. "I'm gonna always take care of the community, though. But I ain't coming back. Not (after) what y'all did to me."
Mathieu was selected by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He quickly became a starter with the Cardinals and was an All-Pro selection in 2015, and he signed a major contract extension with the team before the 2016 season.
But injuries limited Mathieu's role on the field, and the Cardinals asked him to take a pay cut before the 2018 season. He refused, reportedly saying, "taking money out of my pocket, I don't like how that feels," and the Cardinals subsequently released him. He signed with the Texans a few days later and went on to have an outstanding season with the Texans. He matched a career high with 89 total tackles in 2018, including five tackles for loss and a career-high three sacks, along with two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
In April, Mathieu wrote a letter in The Players' Tribune thanking Cardinals fans for their support. Mathieu was always involved in the Valley community during his time with the Cardinals, and in September, he returned to continue that work.
