An open letter to Tyrann Mathieu

Dear Mr. Badger,

Congratulations on hitting free agency. I know that at times free agency can be a bad thing, like if you were not a good player and the team releases you. But that is not the case with Tyrann Mathieu – you, Mr. Honey Badger.

Teams will be looking to win you over, and I’m sure that’s a good feeling. I am also well aware that you stated you’d like to go to a team with a winning culture. Well, hear me out for a second.

The Buccaneers need you to assist them in building that winning culture you speak of.

The organization is building continuity after previously failed attempts in free agency. It wasn’t all bad, but there were plenty of misses. They extended guys like Mike Evans and re-signed Cam Brate on offense and still have defensive Pro Bowlers like Gerald McCoy, Kwon Alexander (your college teammate), and Lavonte David under contract. Let’s not forget franchise quarterback Jameis Winston who is still maturing. Scary thought for opposing defenses.

Back in 2016, I wrote an open letter to Mr. and Mrs. Brent Grimes to come to Tampa Bay. As you can see here, it assisted in the decision for Grimes to play for the Buccaneers. He loves it here so much that he even re-signed for 2018!

Now I don’t expect to influence your decision. I am not even sure if the team has reached out to you. But if they have, you’ll at least have a support system already in place that may make the decision a bit easier. Remember general manager Jason Licht? And I know you remember Brentson Buckner. Those are your guys. You are already in the door at One Buc.

The team preaches family and unity. They’ve parted ways with those that were bad for the locker room. They are moving in the right direction.

They are just missing a honey badger.