Steelers Have Been in Contact with FA Safety Tyrann Mathieu

The Steelers have been in contact with free agent safety Tyrann Mathieu, he confirmed on the Jordy Culotta show on Wednesday.

Mathieu said he’s been hearing from a lot of different teams two weeks into his free agency, but specifically dropped the name of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin as someone that he was impressed to hear from.

“I’m trying to enjoy the process,” Mathieu said. “It’s still cool talking to all coaches, the different coaches, because some of these guys, I’m fans of. Mike Tomlin calling your phone like, ‘Hey, yo, it’s Mike T.’ Just being able to talk with these guys, it’s a blessing.”

It’s not clear exactly how interested the Steelers are in acquiring the All-Pro safety. They certainly have a need, with incumbent starter Terrell Edmunds also a free agent. But general manager Kevin Colbert said during the NFL meetings this week that the Steelers would prefer to sign a younger option.

“Our preference is always to add players coming off of their first contract or as close to their first contract as they can be,” Colbert said.

It’s also not clear if, despite his love for Tomlin, Mathieu is interested in joining the Steelers. He told Culotta what he’s looking for in a potential free agent fit:

“From a leadership perspective, you obviously want to be part of a good group of guys. You want to be able to work well with these guys. These are guys that you spend a good part of your life with once you sign a contract — hours and hours on end. You want to be a part of a good group.

“And then, too, I think I’ve been spoiled. I’ve always been around guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Patrick Petersen, J.J. Watt. If you ain’t got those guys in the room, I don’t know if I fit in the room.

“Then you want to win.”

The Steelers certainly have some big NFL personalities on their team with players like Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt. But their prognosis for winning is not as high as some other teams that may be pursuing Mathieu. The Steelers are currently considered 66/1 long shots to win Super Bowl LVII.