Tyrann Mathieu surprisingly names Alontae Taylor on all-time teammates squad

Through his potentially Hall of Fame career he’s played for four teams and with some legendary players. Patrick Mahomes and Patrick Peterson are the first names you’d think of connected to Tyrann Mathieu. That stretch of greats extended to his last stop in New Orleans. Demario Davis, Alvin Kamara and Cam Jordan are some of the legends Mathieu played with during his New Orleans Saints days. 

Mathieu recently gave his all time team filled only with players he played with in his career. The aforementioned names obviously make the list. They're all time great players, and you can't tell the story of the Saints without them.

Ryan Ramczyk and Alontae Taylor also made the list. Ramczyk made a strong impression on Mathieu in a short amount of time. The offensive tackle only played 12 games with Mathieu. After missing the end of the 2023 season, Mathieu's first in New Orleans, Ramczyk sat out the entire 2024 campaign. None of that mattered. He still lands on the Mathieu All-Time Teammate Team.

Alontae Taylor and Marshon Lattimore have an interesting placement on Tyrann Mathieu’s list

Alontae Taylor is the most interesting Saint to make this list for two reasons. First off, he’s the least expected addition. Taylor isn’t the face of the team in the same way that Davis, Jordan and Kamara are. Ramczyk was an All Pro and had an argument for the best at his position prior to injury pushing him to retire. 

Taylor isn’t any of those things. He’s the only one of the group that doesn’t jump off the page as an obvious choice. If there was a Saints defensive back on the list, the expectation would be for it to be Marshon Lattimore. He was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL at a point, and his lockdown ability was a critical piece of the Saints’ defensive run.  

Instead, Mathieu went with L’Jarius Sneed. That was one of the bigger surprises on the list. Lattimore didn’t feel like the same level of no brainer as Davis, Jordan and Kamara, but his absence was a notable omission.  How Mathieu viewed Lattimore and Taylor is surprising but for different reasons. 

Secondly, Mathieu played nickel. He revolutionized the safety position as a versatile piece, and that often meant playing slot. He obviously didn’t do it in New Orleans, but if there’s anyone who is an expert on the type of slot Taylor plays, it would be Mathieu. That experience makes the stamp mean a little more.