Newcomer Tyrann Mathieu says J.J. Watt drew him to Texans

New Houston Texans safety Tyrann Mathieu smiles as he is introduced during a news conference at NRG Stadium on Monday, March 19, 2018, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle ) New Houston Texans safety Tyrann Mathieu smiles as he is introduced during a news conference at NRG Stadium on Monday, March 19, 2018, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Newcomer Tyrann Mathieu says J.J. Watt drew him to Texans 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

New safety Tyrann Mathieu said Monday that defensive end J.J. Watt played a role in his decision to sign with the Texans.



Mathieu and Watt are represented by agent Tom Condon, who negotiated the one-year, $6.5 million contract that has a maximum value of $7 million.

As soon as he heard the Texans were pursuing Mathieu after he was released by Arizona, Watt started recruiting him.

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"I knew J.J. for a couple of years," Mathieu said at his introductory news conference. "We share the same agent, and we've shared a couple of lunches together. We've been able to communicate via phone, text, social media — things like that."

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Watt helped convince Mathieu how good the Texans' defense can be. Mathieu will start at safety behind a front seven that includes Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, D.J. Reader, Whitney Mercilus and Bernardrick McKinney.

"I just wanted to come where guys are hungry," Mathieu said. "Obviously, I'm very hungry at this point in my career.

"I wanted to come to a team that had great potential, a team that (can be) dominant on defense. I think I made the right choice."