GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Defensive back Tyrann Honey Badger Mathieu and the Arizona Cardinals have reached an agreement on a 5-year, $62.5 million extension that includes $40 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Tuesday.His guarantee is the largest for a safety in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information.Mathieu has been one of the NFLs top defenders, but he also tore his right ACL with two games left last season and his left ACL during the 2013 season.In spite of that, Arizona is stepping up to retain a player who has excelled at the NFL level. He hasnt been cleared to return to action yet, but he is expected to be within the next two weeks.Mathieu was considered a candidate for defensive player of the year last season until the injury. He had five interceptions -- one of which led to his first career defensive touchdown -- 89 tackles and one sack. His ability to play three secondary positions increased his value to the Cardinals, who didnt need to use as many substitution packages with Mathieu on the field.Last season, despite being listed as a safety, Mathieu played 62.3 percent of his snaps at cornerback, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Pro Football Focus even rated Mathieu as the leagues best corner despite that not being his listed position.Mathieus deal comes as his fourth NFL season was set to begin. The Cardinals took a risk on Mathieu in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft after Mathieu missed his junior season at LSU in 2012 because was kicked off the team for failing multiple drug tests. Mathieu was arrested in October 2012 and charged for possession of marijuana.One stipulation of the Cardinals drafting him was that he enter a drug-testing program with the team. His rookie contract included a $662,500 signing bonus, but Mathieu only received $265,000 up front and the rest of the money will come by way of annual roster bonuses. Custom Hank Aaron Jersey . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. Kyle Wright Jersey . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. http://www.custombravesjersey.com/ . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. Eddie Mathews Jersey . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. Johan Camargo Jersey . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Batsmen Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad have been dropped to category D, the lowest level of contracts, by the PCB while Shahid Afridi, Junaid Khan and Fawad Alam were cut from the contracted list of players altogether. Legspinner Yasir Shah and wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed have been awarded category-A contracts.The PCB announced on Thursday the list of 30 players given contracts valid from October 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. The following are the major changes to the list from the previous year:Mohammad Amir has been given a new category-B contract.Afridi was in the A-list last year but has not been given a contract this time.Junaid and Saeed Ajmal were not given a contract, after being in the B category last year.Yasir and Sarfraz are new additions in the A list.Shehzad was dropped from category B to D.Fawad had a category-C contract last year, but was cut from this years list.Umar Akmal and Anwar Ali dropped from category C to D.Babar Azam, Imad Wasim and Sami Aslam moved up from category D to C.ddddddddddddSohaib Maqsood and Umar Amin were dropped, having been in category D last year.Hasan Ali, Khalid Latif, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Sohail Khan and Sohail Tanvir were new in category C, after not getting contracts last year.Mohammad Asghar was given a category D contract. He was not in the list last year.Category A: Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Yasir ShahCategory B: Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad AmirCategory C: Haris Sohail, Mohammad Rizwan, Imran Khan, Shan Masood, Mohammad Irfan, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Khalid Latif, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Sohail Khan, Sohail TanvirCategory D: Anwar Ali, Zulfiqar Babar, Mohammad Asghar, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal ' ' '