All-Pro, Super Bowl champ safety Tyrann Mathieu thinks 42-year-old Tom Brady has an important thing in common with the rookie version of Mathieu, who entered the NFL with Bruce Arians seven years ago in Arizona.

Mathieu explained why he believes Brady will benefit so much from time with Arians. And it’s not about Xs and Os.

“Being around Bruce Arians, I think him and Tom are like perfect for each other,” Mathieu told the TDN Fantasy Podcast.

“You know, obviously both of them are well decorated as far as what they were able to accomplish. I think you put two guys like that together. I’ve played against Brady, like he’s the ultimate competitor. And I know Bruce Arians; the first play, it’s a bomb. You know what I mean?

“I know Bruce Arians. I know what he was able to do for a 20-year-old kid who the world gave up on.  So I’m just looking at the situation with Brady, who is much more mature but the perspective is the same. Like the world has probably given up on him; you know what I mean? So he’s in position where he’s going to walk into the building every day with someone who is going to give him confidence. Brady’s not in the AFC, so I don’t really care.”

Mathieu went on to call the Bucs underrated defensively and a very tough team.

“Any time you got a coach that puts confidence in his players, and that coach has legit players, they’re going to be trouble,” Mathieu said. “I don’t care what team it is.”

It’s fair to say Mathieu is rooting for the Bucs this season, since his ties remain strong and he wants to face them in February.

“That’d be dope playing [in the Super Bowl] against Bruce Arians the rest of my [former] coaches,” Mathieu said. “I’m still cool with most of them down there. Even a couple of my LSU boys on the team. That would actually be really cool. That would be sick.”