Kansas City Chiefs: The case for Evan Mathis

In a recent interview Mathis made it clear about what he is looking for in a team to sign with. He listed “contract” as number one on his list. From what I can take, at the age of 33 that doesn’t necessarily mean “money” as much as it does mean “years.” In a review of a CBS Sports interview Mathis gave on the Doug Gottlieb Show by Sun-Sentinel.com he also listed a couple of other priorities,

"“Yeah, scheme actually is lower on the priority list for me because I feel like I can play in any scheme, Mathis said on CBSSports.com’s The Doug Gottlieb Show to fill-in hosts Damon Amendolara and Jason La Canfora. But you’re measuring the contract, you’re measuring the coaches, the contender aspect.”"

“Coaches and the contender aspect.” He wants to play for a good coach. Check. Andy Reid is someone who he knows and respects. If Reid wants him… the Chiefs have as good a chance as any team of signing him. Mathis also wants to play for a contender. Hopefully Mathis could see that his presence could put the Chiefs over the top. Solidifying the interior of the offensive line could be the last step towards contending for the AFC championship.

Now, it doesn’t seem likely that Dorsey is going to offer a multi-year deal longer than two years. However, that’s probably exactly what Mathis is seeking: a three year (or more) deal with incentives and guarantees.

In his interview, Mathis also said,

"“Geographical location is kind of on there, but I think the other factors are a little more important.”"

So, “scheme” and “where” he plays take a back seat to “coaching” and “playing for a contender.”

Mathis goes on to say that by being released during the “dead period” between OTA’s and training camp with the franchise tag deadline stuck in the middle of that, teams would be reluctant to pay what he’s worth. So, he’s stated that he’s’ willing to wait it out.

That may play right into Dorsey’s hands.

It’s clear, with the signing of Justin Houston, that Dorsey is wanting to build an organization which keeps it’s best players and builds through the draft as much as possible, a la the Green Bay Packers’ way. Dorsey has made some significant additions to the roster by paying attention to players who have become available on other team’s practice squads or who were released. Five weeks from now we’ll all be talking about the amazing list of players who’ve been cut from other teams… and whom John Dorsey will be considering as possible additions once again.

Doing the right thing with the available cap space is at issue here and Dorsey and his staff will also be wanting to wait and see if there are injuries during training camp to their own key players. Players who must be replaced and will cost if that were to happen… knock on wood and pray to God it doesn’t.

When Reid said a week after Mathis was released that he was not interested in pursuing him there may have been a number of reasons for that and some of those reasons may have changed. Reid may have said “No” because…

1. He was told by Dorsey that they didn’t have the money to risk with Justin Houston’s contract negotiations pending… but now that’s not the case.

2. He thought his collection of young interior linemen would be enough to get the job done… but now, over the break, he doesn’t see things that way.

3. He thought the “balance of competition” among his linemen on hand would suffer with the addition of a guy expecting to start… but now he sees the folly in that. After all, if you tell players that whoever competes for the job the most will get the job and then you turn around and go out and sign a player to replace one of them… that could upset the balance of competition and perhaps destroy the competitive fire in some players.

Whatever the reason(s)… things certainly could have changed in a month. And more importantly, things may be changing even more in the next month.

So, what would it take to sign Mathis? Mathis has made it clear that he believes the best guards in the league are being paid around $8 million per year while his contract has had him at $5.5 million. If Dorsey can scale a deal that pays Mathis at or slightly less than $5.5 million in the first year and more in the second or an option third year along with an incentive for making the Pro Bowl again, plus a reasonable signing bonus… Mathis would likely bite hard.

You have to ask yourself the question: will the Chiefs move more towards being the kind of team John Dorsey envisions (an organization built like the Packers) by signing Mathis, or not?

I think it’s equally important to ask if K.C. would be closer to contending… with Mathis… or without?

To win the argument that the Chiefs would be better off without Mathis would mean proving their current set of interior linemen would play better and/or develop better without him. Either that or you must prove that there’s another free agent out there who can benefit the team more than Mathis can.

Take a look at who’s out there right now.

+ There’s 27-year-old free agent ILB Brandon Spikes who’s a two-down run stuffing stud. However, he’s got legal issues and will be facing suspension.

+ There’s 6-foot-7, 30 year old Tackle Jake Long who’s spent the past several year calling Injured Reserve his home. Enough that the Rams cut him. When he’s healthy he’s among the best Tackles in the game.

+ There’s 27 year old TE Jermaine Gresham who had surgery on a herniated disc in March. No telling when, or if, he’ll be able to return to football in 2015. Teams are showing interest. If he is in football shape he could be a real find.

+ Aside from aging wide receivers Wes Welker and Reggie Wayne, neither of whom I can see K.C. going after, there’s WR James Jones, who the Chiefs have shown an interest in. Jones is 31 years old but doesn’t seem to have lost a step. Jones has spent all of his NFL career at Green Bay until he went to Oakland for one year in 2014. Jones was a third round pick out of San Jose State in the 2007 draft. Since John Dorsey was in Green Bay when they drafted Jones, he may be willing to kick the tires again. The holdup on signing Jones may be the idea that they’d have to cut a younger receiver they’d like to develop.

None of these free agents can help or impact the Chiefs starting lineup like Mathis can. For me, that’s obvious… and that… is the case for Evan Mathis.

What do you think, Addicts? Can you make the case for another free agent instead? Or maybe you can make the case for not spending the extra cap space at all right now?