The Broncos inquired on veteran edge rusher Clay Matthews after losing Von Miller to injury, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). According to a league source, the Broncos were informed that Matthews is “not going to play.” However, that’s not quite the case. Agent Ryan Williams says he was “unable to come to an agreement with Denver,” but his client “remains open to playing in the NFL in 2020, provided it’s the right opportunity for him and his family” (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com).
[RELATED: Return Possible For Broncos’ Von Miller?]
Matthews, 34, racked up eight sacks in 13 games (all starts) last year, despite missing some time with a broken jaw. In the interest of equal time, the sacks may not tell the whole story – Matthews had just eleven QB hits in 2019, similar to his 12 QB hits in 2018 with the Packers, when he finished out with just 3.5 sacks.
Regardless, Matthews would have been a strong last-minute pickup to bolster the Broncos’ edge rush. They’ll be without Miller for three months at minimum, or the entire season at maximum. They might also have to get by without former first-round pick Bradley Chubb for a bit as he works his way back from last year’s ACL tear.
Matthews has 91.5 career sacks, putting him at the doorstep of the century mark. If he returns and hits 100 sacks, he’d be the 35th player in league history to join the club.
Looks like the Clay has finally crumbled
Who else will give you a better opportunity to play? Probably waiting for a playoff caliber team to reach out.
Minnesota could use someone to fill in for Hunter for a few weeks
Nope. He ain’ gonna do it. That 8 and a half sacks are a long way away. He will need Brett Favre to come back to do that.
So Clay is set to receive $2 million this year from the Rams as part of his bonus. This is prorated is he signs and plays with another team. So if he plays for anything less then $2million he will be playing for free. I don’t see anyone giving Mathews a base of $4-$5 million dollars a year.
I don’t know Denver wouldn’t give him 4-5 Million base, they are over 25 million in cap space and with still about 1-3 weeks from being . Do it, you get the leadership and help for Casey and Chubb.
How is that free? The money is prorated, not taken away forever.. And whatever happened to playing because you love to play? The guy’s made bank already, he’s losing physicality due to age – play now or lose more strength/speed etc due to age.
Holding out for a reunion with Pete up in Seattle, maybe?
Maybe reunited with McCarthy in Dallas???
Maybe he just wants to go fishing.
Vic Fangio would rather chase 34 yr old Matthews than poach from the Bears defense? This has me a bit worried.