Yes, Evan Mathis is an Eagles Pro Bowler and a client of Drew Rosenhaus who is seeking a pay raise while under contract. But, no, he won’t pull a Terrell Owens on us.
“I think with those contract questions, you haven’t heard anything from myself, you haven’t heard anything from Rosenhaus, the Eagles,” the left guard told CSN’s Derrick Gunn. “For that type of matter I think it’s best that anything stays in house, just be professional about it. If I did ask for a new contract, I’m not going to tell [the media] I want a new contract. How are you going to get me a new contact? Seriously though, for all that type of stuff, the best approach would be to keep it in house. I’m here. I’m not holding out. I much prefer reading the articles and the hate tweets and everything from conjecture as opposed to any information that ever came from anybody that knew anything about the situation.”
Mathis won’t keep himself out of workouts over a new deal or, as he later put it, “we’re not in my driveway.” The offensive guard, who made his first Pro Bowl after the 2013 season, approached the Eagles about re-doing the five-year, $25.5MM he signed before the 2012 season over the winter. The Eagles responded by advising Mathis and Rosenhaus to check the market to see if another team would be interested in dealing for him.
The 32-year-old feels that he’s the best guard in the league and wants to be paid like it, but it doesn’t sound like the Eagles will have to cave to his demands to keep him on the field. In late March we heard that the Eagles were seeking a third round pick and would possibly settle for a fourth rounder, but they apparently haven’t found a deal to their liking.