Cards’ Tyrann Mathieu: ‘I just want to get paid as a top defender’

4:11 PM ET

TEMPE, Ariz. — Tyrann Mathieu doesn’t want to be called a safety.

But he doesn’t want to want be called a cornerback, either.

With negotiations between the Arizona Cardinals and Mathieu on a contract extension entering the summer months, his true position has come into question. He’s labeled as a safety but played 62.3 percent of his snaps last season at cornerback, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

When it comes to getting paid, however, Mathieu doesn’t want to be categorized.

“I just want to get paid as a top defender,” Mathieu told ESPN. “I don’t want to be slotted as a corner or a safety, because I’m not Patrick Peterson and I’m not Earl Thomas. I’m kind of different than both of those guys, but I still have the same type of impact on the game as those guys do.

“I just want to be paid as a top defender, and however that looks on paper, that’s what I want.”

Being listed as a safety is impacting Tyrann Mathieu’s negotiations. AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Mathieu said negotiations have been …

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