The Eagles have released Pro Bowl guard, Evan Mathis. The Chiefs need to be in on this. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports
So what is it about Mathis’s situation that has changed enough that the Chiefs might consider him now? Well, the big thing is that nobody has signed him yet. This is after reports were released that claimed he had interest from anywhere between four real contenders and 10 teams reaching out to him. That kind of interest in the NFL usually results in a signing pretty quickly. And it is a rarity that a Pro Bowl offensive lineman is available at this point in the year. So the fact that Evan Mathis has not yet signed anywhere means that something else is going on here. Realistically, there are only a few reasons why that is…
Not worth the money – It may very well be that the teams interested in Mathis simply don’t believe he is worth what his agent is asking for. Chip Kelly has already admitted that releasing the veteran guard was simply about the money, which makes sense considering that Mathis had previously claimed he was holding out because he wanted the Eagles to honor a contract promise by former general manager, Howie Roseman.
If this is the case, then the rest of the league may very well have also taken that position. However, I find this hard to believe when considering that two of the teams considered to be heavily in the mix are the Dolphins and 49ers, both of whom have plenty of cap space (both reported at more than $10 million available) for the 2015 season, and are in desperate need of upgrading their interior offensive lines. If money were the issue, it would seem that either of these teams would be in an ideal position to overpay and get the upgrade.
He’s just too old – There is absolutely an age bias in the NFL. Once you hit 30 years old, the general consensus is that you’re just counting the days until you retire. And while there is some truth to that in a general sense, offensive linemen have been proving this wrong for quite a while. For Chiefs fans, the names Will Shields and Willie Roaf should pop into mind as both were top-tier players right up until they retired.
Does this apply to Mathis? Well, he has been one of the premier offensive linemen in the NFL over the past several years. He was an All Pro in 2013, and was off to a great start in 2014 before an injury shortened the season for him. Mathis says that he is still at the top of his game, and it should be noted that the Eagles made no mention of his age when they released him.
He’s only going to play where he wants to play – This is the big one for me. After thinking about Mathis’ age, one has to consider his career goals. It only makes sense that winning a Super Bowl would be on that list of goals, meaning he would only want to play for a team he considers to be a contender. That would explain why Miami and San Francisco have been unable to make a move as both teams are not expected to do much in 2015.