HOUSTON -- After Tyrann Mathieu was released by the Arizona Cardinals as a salary cap casualty just before the NFL's new calendar year, Bill O’Brien reached out to Mathieu’s former head coach, Bruce Arians.
The Houston Texans head coach and Arians are good friends, and a quick conversation about Mathieu made it an easy call for O’Brien.
"Coach Arians said to me, 'I’ll stand on that table 10 times for Tyrann Mathieu,'" O'Brien said. "So that meant a lot to me, and after meeting him, I can see why."
O’Brien and Mathieu met for the first time the night before his introductory media conference March 19, and the 25-year-old safety quickly impressed.