Eagles Release Evan Mathis
An acrimonious relationship in Philadelphia has come to an end today, as the Eagles are releasing veteran guard Evan Mathis, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Since Mathis is a vested veteran, he’ll immediately hit the open market, and will be free to sign with any team.
The move comes as something of a surprise since Mathis is considered one of the league’s best guards. In 2014, despite playing just 608 offensive snaps, the former third-round pick ranked as the league’s best left guard, performing particularly well as a run blocker, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required). PFF had previously graded Mathis as the NFL’s No. 1 guard in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Still, the relationship between head coach Chip Kelly and Mathis never seemed great — the Pro Bowl lineman had been the subject of trade rumors for the last couple years, and had yet to report to Philadelphia’s offseason program in 2015. A combination of his age (33) and his salary ($5.5MM in 2015) may have scared off potential suitors, though Mathis did receive a little trade interest prior to the draft this year. While the Bills, Vikings, Dolphins, Rams, and Patriots are among the teams that have been linked to Mathis so far this offseason, I expect that list to grow significantly now that he’ll be a free agent.
For Kelly and the Eagles, Mathis becomes the latest in a growing list of Pro Bowl offensive players released or traded by the team in the last couple years, following DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy out the door. Heading into the 2015 campaign, it appears that Allen Barbre will get the first opportunity to replace Mathis as the Eagles’ starting left guard.
Mathis will count for $1MM against the Eagles’ cap in 2015, as the team reduces his cap hit by $5.5MM. Because he was a post-June 1 cut, Philadelphia will also carry $1MM in dead money for Mathis in 2016.
NFC East Notes: Murray, Eagles, Cowboys
Joseph Randle took a lot of heat for saying that DeMarco Murray could have gone for even more yards in 2014, but Andy Benoit of The MMQB says that he’s right. In many instances, Benoit found that Murray was making decisions that didn’t play to his strengths. If another Cowboys running back is able to capitalize on those gaping holes left by the elite offensive line, then someone could be in for a big year in Dallas. Here’s more from the NFC East..
East Notes: Wilkerson, Mosley, Eagles
While Muhammad Wilkerson isn’t saying much publicly about extension negotiations with the Jets, fellow defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson was happy to discuss Wilkerson’s contract situation on Tuesday, telling Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that his teammate should be the NFL’s next $100MM man.
“He’s worth that penny,” Richardson said of Wilkerson. “And you know what penny I’m talking about. … We don’t just want J.J. Watt money. We want it all. We want [Ndamukong] Suh money. Hopefully everybody wants that type of bread in this league.”
If Wilkerson gets a $100MM contract, it won’t come from the Jets this year, according to Mehta, who points out that the team has the leverage at this point. The addition of first-round pick Leonard Williams to the defensive line somewhat weakened Wilkerson’s negotiating position, per Mehta.
Here’s more on Wilkerson, along with a couple more items out of the NFL’s East divisions:
- More Richardson on Wilkerson, via Mehta: “If Gerald McCoy can get $100MM, I’m pretty sure my guy Mo Wilkerson can get $100MM.”
- During his visit to Miami this week, defensive tackle C.J. Mosley received a contract offer from the Dolphins, who “made clear they would love to add him as soon as possible,” agent Harold Lewis tells Adam Beasley and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The Lions and one other unknown team also have interest in adding Mosley, who has yet to make a decision.
- Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and safety Earl Wolff appear to be at odds over the defensive back’s recovery from microfracture surgery, writes Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. As Bowen notes, Wolff is more upbeat about his recovery than Kelly, who instead emphasized how well Walter Thurmond is adapting to the safety position.
East Notes: Mathis, Hardy, Eagles, Pats
Eagles coach Chip Kelly says that he has yet to speak with offensive guard Evan Mathis, who has not reported for OTAs, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
“We’ll take it as it comes,” Kelly said.
Mandatory minicamp starts on June 16th, but he could wind up in camp with another club as the Eagles have given him permission to look for a viable trade. The Eagles have said that they’re not shopping the 33-year-old, but Kelly has admitted that he is willing to listen on anyone. Earlier today, we learned that Mathis contends that the Eagles offered to boost his salary by $1MM per season but later pulled that proposal off the table. Here’s more from the East divisions..
- A ruling on Greg Hardy‘s appeal is expected to come this week, and Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News suspects the 10-game suspension for the Cowboys defensive end may not be reduced.
- Kelly says that so far, Eagles offseason acquisition Sam Bradford has done a “great job” so far in his recovery from a torn ACL in his left knee, Berman writes. Kelly also reiterated that Bradford is still on track to return in a reasonable timeframe. There is no date for that return just yet, however.
- Following the release of UDFA cornerback Eric Patterson, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reset the Patriots‘ depth chart at cornerback. Logan Ryan, Bradley Fletcher, and Malcolm Butler are the top three cornerbacks on the chart, but Reiss notes that safety Devin McCourty came into the NFL as a corner and could concievably move back depending on how things unfold.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Latest On Eagles, Evan Mathis
Evan Mathis contends that the Eagles previously offered to adjust his contract and later reneged, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears from a source with knowledge of the situation.
The Eagles, he says, offered to increase his salary by roughly $1MM per year from 2014 to 2016. Mathis declined the offer in 2014, but he was interested in accepting in 2015. The Eagles, per the source, told Mathis that the offer was no longer good. The reason? Howie Roseman, the man that made the offer, was no longer GM.
So, it now appears that Mathis’ beef with the Eagles runs deeper than simply salary. The two-time Pro Bowl guard believes that he had something promised to him that was later pulled off the table.
There was interest from teams to trade for Mathis, a source tells Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). One team engaged in pre-draft talks with Philly but changed course after the first round. The Bills, Vikings, Dolphins, Rams, and Patriots are among the many teams that have been connected to Mathis in recent months. However, it’s not clear how serious things got between the Eagles and any of those clubs.
Even though he only saw time in nine games, Mathis’ overall score of 25.8 (per Pro Football Focus, subscription required) ranked him as the second-best offensive guard in the NFL in 2014. The year prior, Mathis graded out as the very best guard in the NFL. Mathis’ deal calls for him to earn a $5.5MM base with $1MM prorated in 2015, good for a total of $6.5MM. With an extra $500K in his base salary in 2016, that number jumps slightly to $7MM.
Extra Points: Spikes, Carroll, Steelers, Rams
Just weeks after signing a one-year deal with the Patriots, linebacker Brandon Spikes may soon find himself in legal trouble.
A car registered to Spikes was found abandoned on I-495 in Foxborough, Mass., early Sunday morning, according to FOX 25. An OnStar representative told Massachusetts State Police that the driver reported hitting a deer, but no deer was found in the vicinity and the car had front-end damage. Shortly after, police responded to a hit-and-run report nearby. The occupants, who said they were rear-ended by a car they didn’t see, were treated for minor injuries at an area hospital.
Per Massachusetts law, fleeing a hit-and-run scene in which human injuries occurred carries up to two years in jail, tweeted Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann.
When asked for comment, Patriots spokesman Stacey James said, “We are aware of the report and are looking into the matter, but I don’t have any additional comment at this time.”
Whether this will lead to serious ramifications for Spikes remains to be seen, but it’s an inauspicious start to his second stint with the Pats. The 27-year-old left the team in an acrimonious manner last offseason after four seasons and subsequently signed with AFC East rival Buffalo. Upon returning to New England, Spikes said of head coach Bill Belichick,“I just want to show him I’ve changed as an individual, as a player, as a man. I’m going to just show him; better than just saying it, I’m going to show him.”
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- The Eagles are looking for a cornerback to start opposite the newly acquired Byron Maxwell, and they have a strong contender in five-year veteran Nolan Carroll, writes Jeff McLane of Philly.com. Carroll has fared well during spring workouts and drawn praise from head coach Chip Kelly and defensive backs coach Cory Undilin. “He’s not satisfied with where he was yesterday,” said Undilin. “So every time he comes into the building his mind-set is telling him, ‘Listen, I’m going to find a away to get better than I was yesterday.’ I believe he’s done that every single day he’s been here.” Carroll, whom Philly signed as a free agent last year, appeared in 16 games in 2014 and made 31 tackles. He has five career interceptions, including three in 2013.
- Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant spent the first six games of 2014, his rookie season, on the inactive list and then impressed when finally given a chance, averaging over 21 yards per catch and racking up eight touchdowns in 10 games. The 23-year-old spent the offseason working hard in hopes of making an impact immediately in his second year, he told the Associated Press. “I am more prepared,” the former fourth-round pick said. “I have more confidence. I just trained and did karate and ran routes the whole offseason to get better. I worked on the whole route tree that we run so people can see that I can do more than just catch the deep ball.”
- The Rams waived sixth-round receiver Bud Sasser earlier this week because of a heart condition that, in the team’s opinion, will prevent Sasser from playing. Sasser went unclaimed on waivers and is now on the Rams’ non-football illness list for 2015. Teams don’t have to pay players who are on the NFI list, and the Rams will take advantage of that, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Sasser will, however, keep the $113k signing bonus the Rams gave him when they signed him. There is no word on whether the team will relinquish Sasser’s rights, which would give him the opportunity to catch on with another club. Sasser would want that, it seems, given that he believes he’s physically well enough to play.
NFC Notes: Flowers, Chester, Crowder
When a player enters the NFL out of college, an agent can be invaluable when it comes to preparing that prospect for the combine, negotiating marketing or endorsement agreements, and providing a credit line of income before the player earns his actual NFL income. However, as Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com notes, rookie contracts have become so predetermined that an agent isn’t all that necessary for negotiations.
In fact, one first-rounder, offensive lineman Ereck Flowers, negotiated his own rookie contract with the Giants, writes Brandt. Had Flowers hired an agent and been charged the maximum allowable 3% fee on his $14.4MM guaranteed contract, the fee would have worked out to $432K.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Before veteran guard Chris Chester signed a one-year contract with the Falcons, he received a two-year offer from the Eagles, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). As Caplan notes, Chester will have a better chance of starting in Atlanta, with one or two interior line positions up for grabs.
- After a post appeared on Jamison Crowder‘s Instagram account this week accusing him of domestic violence, Washington and the NFL are looking into the situation. However, as John Keim of NFL.com details, Crowder’s agent, Tory Dandy, says the allegation is false: “His account was hacked. Jamison hasn’t hit anybody.”
- Cam Newton got a $22.5MM signing bonus on his new contract extension with the Panthers, but he won’t get that entire amount up front. Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets that $7MM of the bonus money is deferred until April 1, 2016, while the other $15.5MM is payable within a week of Newton’s signing.
East Notes: Bradford, Wilkerson, Giants
Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur held the same position in St. Louis during Sam Bradford‘s rookie season with the Rams, when the No. 1 pick won Offensive Rookie of the Year and nearly led the team to the playoffs. So, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes, head coach Chip Kelly turned to Shurmur for input and information on Bradford before Philadelphia acquired him in March. While Shurmur’s endorsement didn’t directly lead to the trade, the Eagles OC is optimistic about what Bradford can do with the club.
“I certainly have a very strong, good opinion of what he can accomplish,” Shurmur said. “Had he been able to stay healthy, he wouldn’t have been available for us. When the deal was getting made, I had my fingers crossed in the background that it was going to get done.”
As we wait to see how the Shurmur/Bradford reunion plays out, let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL’s two East divisions….
- Jets head coach Todd Bowles said yesterday that he wasn’t sure whether or not Muhammad Wilkerson would report to the Jets’ mandatory minicamp this month, but a person familiar with the defensive lineman’s thinking tells Steve Serby and Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post that Wilkerson will be in attendance. Wilkerson has been absent from the club’s offseason activities so far, as he seeks a new contract.
- The Giants continue to keep an eye out for potential offensive line help, general manager Jerry Reese tells Dom Cosentino of NJ Advance Media. With Will Beatty out for the season, the team could use some veteran depth. “Obviously, everybody has around 90 men on their roster right now, so there’ll be some cuts,” Reese said. “There will be some chances to add some offensive linemen.”
- Bills coach Rex Ryan sounds impressed with third-round guard John Miller so far, as Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News writes. “When we took him, we thought he’d be our starter and we’ll see,” Ryan said. “But I feel pretty confident that he’s going to be a major contributor for us.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFC East Notes: Bryant, Jackson, Eagles
Former Cowboys quarterback and current radio color commentator Babe Laufenberg (via the The Dallas Morning News) watched the Cowboys’ practice on Wednesday and wasn’t sure what to make of the defense. Ultimately, the unit he saw today will not be the same one fans see in Week 1 against the Giants. Greg Hardy could be suspended, Demarcus Lawrence and Rolando McClain could be sidelined, and it remains to be seen where Randy Gregory‘s head is at. Here’s more out of the NFC East..
- Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones has not talked recently with Dez Bryant’s agents but he remains hopeful something can be worked out. At the same time, he does not feel pressured to do a deal by the deadline, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. “We know he will be a Cowboy this year,” Jones said. “If he ends up playing this year under the tag we will go right back to work again next year. Now would we like to get a long term deal on him? Of course we would. We’ll work hard to do that and I’m sure we’ll make a push at some point and see if we can make it work. If not, hopefully he will understand it’s difficult to make a deal at this point and he’ll come in and get ready to play.” When and if Bryant signs his tender, he’ll be guaranteed a $12.823MM salary. The deadline to hammer out a long-term pact is July 15th.
- In a chat with reporters, Washington wide receiver DeSean Jackson didn’t go into detail on what kept him away from OTAs last week, but he did mention his reality TV show on BET and that he is preparing for the birth of a child, Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes. Team president Bruce Allen on Monday said he wasn’t concerned with Jackson’s absence. “I had personal things I had to do back home,” Jackson said. “I’m a veteran in this league, going on my eighth year. Communication with my head coach and the guys here, they knew about it. Like I said, I had things I had to do, I was obligated to do back home in California. I’m here now, and I’m happy to be here with my teammates, and they’ve been putting in some great work, so I’m just trying to catch up and get back in the swing of things. But I had things I had to handle.”
- The Eagles announced that they have finalized their scouting department overhaul, as Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes. The most significant move is the promotion of Trey Brown from West Coast scout to assistant director of college scouting. Brown, entering his third season with the organization after three with the Patriots, will essentially assume the responsibilities held by former director of college scouting Anthony Patch, who was fired recently.
East Notes: Welker, Eagles, Boykin, JPP
As Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets, free agent wideout Wes Welker told Toucher and Rich of 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston that he wants to continue his playing career, and wouldn’t be opposed to rejoining the Patriots.
Examining potential fits for Welker, Field Yates of ESPN.com (Insider-only link) agrees that perhaps New England could be a match, though he gets the sense that it’s unlikely to happen. Yates also identifies the Ravens and Texans as potential landing spots for the veteran receiver.
Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFL’s two East divisions….
- Two Eagles players who were the subject of trade rumors in Philadelphia this offseason addressed those rumors recently. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the quotes from defensive lineman Fletcher Cox, while Mark Eckel of NJ.com passes along linebacker Mychal Kendricks‘ thoughts on the matter. Kendricks said he expects to still be on Philadelphia’s roster by the time the season gets underway, but admitted there haven’t been any extension talks with the team.
- Eagles cornerback Brandon Boykin is expecting to continue to play in the slot this season rather than getting a chance to start on the outside, and says that story is “getting real old,” writes McLane in a separate Inquirer piece. As Zach Berman of the Inquirer tweets, Boykin says if he plays well in his contract year, he expects he’ll get the chance to play a bigger role when free agency hits.
- Cameron Jordan and Jason Pierre-Paul aren’t entirely comparable, but Jordan’s new five-year, $55MM contract (worth up to $60MM) could have an impact on JPP’s negotiations with the Giants, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.