Tonight, you can count one team out of the Evan Mathis’ sweepstakes and that is the Oakland Raiders. According to ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson, the Raiders are not pursuing the Eagles offensive guard. For a couple of weeks now, the trade winds have swirled around Mathis and his agent Drew Rosenhaus is doing his diligence at the NFL Owners Meetings this week looking for a trade partner.
The Raiders would be an interesting trade partner for Mathis as they need offensive line help, but in last year’s draft they selected left guard Gabe Jackson out of Mississippi State to fill that void. That is probably why Williamson said that Oakland is not pursuing Mathis.
If the Eagles cannot find a trade partner, the worst case scenario is that the birds might just release him according to CSNPhilly.com’s Geoff Mosher.
Mathis, who was on the trade block last offseason and is back there again, might be cast off into the free-agent waters if the Eagles can’t deal him, according to a source close to the situation.
Right now, the source said, the team is “actively looking” to deal the 33-year-old lineman. Head coaches and executives from all 32 NFL teams are at the luxurious Arizona Biltmore resort this week for the annual owners meetings. It’s an informal environment outside of the meetings but business can be consummated.
The source said the decision to shop Mathis is completely Kelly’s and added that the Eagles are either looking to save money or continue to rebuild the roster around a younger nucleus — or both.
The source also didn’t slam the door on Mathis returning to the Eagles, but Kelly hasn’t shown much reluctance to get rid of veterans, even if it means eating dead money.
So it seems like Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is trying to go with a youth movement here in Philadelphia and trying to save money. There is nothing wrong with that notion but will it work. For example, look at the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers are building a young nucleus and saving money but at the same time they have one of the worst records in the NBA.
Obviously, the NBA and NFL are different entities but I see what Kelly is doing. If he does let Mathis go, the Eagles will have another hole on the offensive line that they will have to address in the draft. Finally, if Mathis is released the Eagles will be saving $4.5 million in cap space.
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