How will New Orleans find their replacement for the legendary NFL safety?
NFL and Louisiana legend Tyrann Mathieu retired just one day before the New Orleans Saints were set to start training camp.
Mathieu has been one of the top players at his position since entering the league and replacing his role in the defense will be near impossible for the Saints. Outside of his play on the field, the LSU legend was a leader in the locker room and a loved player by the media.
Nonetheless, the Saints will have to assign someone to play across Justin Reid. Here are the top candidates to take over for the legendary safety.
Julian Blackmon
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The Saints were swift when adding to their safety room, signing former Indianapolis Colts standout safety Julian Blackmon. The 26-year-old defensive back is the front-runner to win the job, but the contract details show Blackmon may not have as secure a lead to start as first thought.
Blackmon signed a 1-year $5.5 million contract with New Orleans, keeping him rostered for just one season. There’s been a lot of speculation on why Blackmon was even available this late in the offseason, but his availability is likely due to injury concerns. The versatile defensive back suffered multiple injuries throughout his college career and suffered a torn Achilles during his second season in the NFL.
Despite his earlier injuries, Blackmon has played at least 14 games in 4/5 of his seasons as a pro. The newly signed Saint even played 16 games in 2024 while dealing with a torn right labrum. While he played through the injury, it’s likely what kept him unsigned late into the offseason.
Jordan Howden
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Third-year safety Jordan Howden got the nod at the starting spot for the first day of training camp. While Howden’s start could be a placeholder until Blackmon’s contract is official, the 2023 fifth-round pick could be in contention for the starting spot.
Howden had a promising rookie year, but couldn’t bring that momentum into his second season, losing his spot to Will Harris. The third-year safety started four games for the black and gold in 2024 but appeared in all 17 games. Howden accumulated 50 tackles and 1 TFL in his second season as a pro.
A breakout from Howden, where he would earn the starting spot, is the ideal situation for New Orleans. With two seasons already under his belt and still on a rookie contract, his combination of youth and financial flexibility helps the team the most during a rebuild.
Jonas Sanker
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Rookie safety Jonas Sanker is the long shot to take the starting spot. With two young but experienced players ahead of him, Sanker will have to put together an impressive training camp and preseason to earn the starting nod before the start of the regular season.
But Sanker’s leverage may come with the Saints’ focus on stopping the run. The 2025 third-round pick was a tackle machine in college and has the ideal measurables for a starting NFL safety.
Sanker is comfortable making open field tackles and has elite instincts when attempting a tackle. The 2024 First-Team All-ACC safety will likely see most of his play time on special teams to start his rookie year but will see playtime on the defense due to his flexibility. If Sanker can take advantage of his snaps, he could make his way as the starter throughout the season.
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