The Philadelphia Eagles have released two time Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis today after more than a year of contract negotiation.
Thanks for the memories Philly.
— Evan Mathis (@EvanMathis69) June 11, 2015
Mathis was placed on the trading block last Spring and again leading up to the draft this April, however no teams made an offer for him according to Head Coach Chip Kelly,
“We have never had an offer for Evan so there’s nothing to take. Evan’s been available to trade for two years now and we’ve never had an offer for him. And that’s through their agent and him. They’ve asked us if he can renegotiate a contract and see what he can get and we’ve obliged him with that, but we’ve never had an offer on him.”
It is hard to say if there is a winner of this contract dispute as it is unlikely that Mathis, who turns 34 this November, will get a deal better than he had in Philly, while his release will cost the Eagles $1 million in cap space but ultimately save them $11.5 million. Additionally, Mathis’ release leaves a gap in an offensive line that needs to protect a large investment at running back and a quarterback coming off two consecutive ACL tears.
So far Allen Barbre has been practicing with the first-team offense throughout OTAs while Matt Tobin, Andrew Gardner and Dennis Kelly saw time at right guard.
Mathis’ release comes right after he reportedly booked a flight so he could report to mini camp.
Just asked Evan Mahtis if he had planned to show up next week. Response via text: "Yep. Flight was scheduled for Monday."
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffMosherCSN) June 11, 2015
Mathis also becomes another in a long line of Pro Bowlers that have departed from the Eagles since Chip Kelly took control of the team.
