Evan Mathis - Pro Football Rumors

Evan Mathis Scheduled To Visit Seahawks

August 23rd, 2015 at 9:45am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 9:45am: We learned yesterday that Mathis’ visit with the Seahawks went well, and that Seattle head coach Pete Carroll referred to the visit as a “physical,” which could have been an indication that a deal was imminent. However, there is no deal in place as of yet, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out that when Carroll used the term “physical,” he said that Mathis was “coming in for a physical. That’s all.” So while it’s clear that Seattle is interested in the free agent guard, Florio writes that it is equally clear the Seahawks will not issue a blank check to Mathis, despite their clear needs along the offensive line. Seattle, of course, already has several high-profile players who are unhappy with their current deals, and if the team were to hand out a lucrative contract to a newcomer, an already tense atmosphere may become even more strained. The Mathis situation, therefore, remains in a holding pattern.

FRIDAY, 1:36pm: Mathis is unlikely to reach an agreement with another team before tomorrow, and is planning to go through with his scheduled visit to Seattle, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

THURSDAY, 7:44pm: Free agent guard Evan Mathis is scheduled to visit the Seahawks on Saturday, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). However, at this time, it’s uncertain as to whether he’ll go. The standout interior lineman apparently has interest from other teams and if another one swoops in and signs him first, he’ll call off his flight to Seattle.

At this time, it’s not known who the other interested clubs are, but it’s not a surprise to hear that Mathis is drawing widespread interest given his body of work. We heard earlier this week that the Giants have not closed the door on Mathis, though they have concerns about his price tag. One GM with interest in Mathis recently told Peter King of The MMQB (on Twitter) that he refuses to pay an “old guard” like Mathis $5MM per year.

Mathis, released by the Eagles earlier this offseason, is considered one of the league’s best interior linemen. In 2014, despite playing just 608 offensive snaps, the former third-round pick ranked as the league’s best left guard, performing particularly well as a run blocker, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required). PFF had previously graded Mathis as the NFL’s No. 1 guard in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Mathis was scheduled to earn a base salary of $5.5MM under his Eagles deal, and it remains to be seen if he and agent Drew Rosenhaus can secure that type of commitment from another club. Given his age and that teams mostly have their rosters set, it’s probably unlikely that Mathis will be able to get that level of AAV.

The Bills, Vikings, Dolphins, Rams, and Patriots were among the teams said to have varying levels of trade interest in him before Philly cut him loose. The Colts, Giants, and Cardinals have all said they won’t make a play for Mathis, but Rosenhaus said earlier this offseason that he heard from at least six teams with interest in his client.

Extra Points: Brees, Mathis, Seahawks

August 22nd, 2015 at 9:29pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Let’s take a look at the latest from around the NFL as Saturday comes to a close…

Saints quarterback Drew Brees spent two months working with coach Tom House to improve poor throwing mechanics that came as a result of an oblique injury last year, ESPN’s Ed Werder tweeted. “There was a lot I needed to fix,” said Brees (Twitter link). Despite the injury, Brees still appeared in all 16 games in 2014 and completed over 69 percent of his passes for 4,952 yards, 33 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Free agent guard Evan Mathis’ visit with the Seahawks on Saturday went well, according to Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). While a signing doesn’t appear imminent, Garofalo tweeted that Seattle will remain an option for the two-time Pro Bowler.
Although 49ers safety Eric Reid has suffered three concussions during his first two NFL seasons, ex-teammate Chris Borland‘s offseason decision to retire over head-trauma concerns didn’t tempt Reid to do the same. “No. Not at all,” Reid said, per Eric Branch of SFGate.com. “Football is a violent sport, but you know what you sign up for when you put those shoulder pads on. I agree with certain aspects of it. I disagree with certain aspects of it. But you have to respect his decision either way. I’ve had concussions and I’m still here. I still love the sport. I think I’m still very healthy.”
One of the main focuses of the Steelers’ Keith Butler is making sure his defense is unpredictable. Butler, who’s taking over for longtime defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, is loath to call Pittsburgh a 4-3 or 3-4 team. “We are not strictly anything,” he said, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We just can’t be a 3-4 team and can’t just be a 4-3 team. I don’t think you can get around that. Offenses are multiple, so you have to do what you have to do to stop them. In order to do that, you try to match up your people with their people.”

Extra Points: Steelers, Mathis, Pryor, Bills

August 22nd, 2015 at 12:28pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL…

Considering the Steelers refusal to renegotiate contracts prior to the final year of a player’s current deal, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com wonders if Antonio Brown could potentially hold out in the future.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll referred to Evan Mathis‘ visit with the organization as a “physical,” according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (via Twitter). This could be an indication that a deal is imminent.
Browns wideout (and former quarterback) Terrelle Pryor hasn’t had much of an opportunity to hit the field this summer due to injuries, and according to Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com (via Twitter), head coach Mike Pettine said the receiver’s chance of making the team decreases every day he’s not out there.
The Bills are auditioning free agent wideout Austin Willis, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Several teams are reportedly interested in the former Emporia State standout, who was cut by the Raiders earlier this week.
Rex Ryan said there is a “high possibility” that the Bills keep all three of their quarterbacks, writes Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com. The team also hasn’t decided who will start among Tyrod Taylor, Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel. “We haven’t decided yet who’s starting at QB next week,” Ryan said. “We’ll rotate all three in this week.”

South Notes: Pagano, Titans, Mathis, Panthers

August 21st, 2015 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Expectations are high in Indianapolis this season, with Colts owner Jim Irsay suggesting that he’d like to see his team win “at least two world championships” while Andrew Luck is the quarterback. Those high expectations, combined with the fact that Chuck Pagano is entering the final year of his contract, could mean it’s a “Super Bowl or bust” season for the Colts’ head coach, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

La Canfora hears that there’s “consistent chatter” around the Colts about possible tension between Pagano and GM Ryan Grigson, who haven’t always seen eye to eye on staff decisions — per La Canfora, Grigson strongly supported Pep Hamilton as offensive coordinator, while Pagano was more inclined to go with Rob Chudzinski.

I’m skeptical that Irsay and the Colts are drawing a hard “Super Bowl or bust” line with Pagano, but it’s somewhat surprising that the two sides haven’t been able to work out a new deal yet. As we wait to see what this season brings for Pagano and his team, let’s round up a few more Friday notes from around the NFL’s two South divisions….

The Titans are monitoring Evan Mathis‘ situation, according to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who suggests Tennessee’s interest in the veteran guard could intensify if the team’s offensive line play doesn’t improve in this weekend’s preseason game vs. the Rams.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Field Yates examines the Panthers‘ options for replacing Kelvin Benjamin, wondering if the Colts might be a logical trade partner — players like Donte Moncrief and Duron Carter may find themselves pushed far down on Indianapolis’ depth chart, with T.Y. Hilton, Andre Johnson, and Phillip Dorsett expected to be the club’s top three wideouts. For what it’s worth, Carolina was one of the teams interested in Carter before he signed with the Colts.
Jim Woodcock, spokesman for Jaguars owner Shad Kahn, denied an international report claiming that the Jaguars have extended their deal with London’s Wembley Stadium through the 2030 season, per Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union. However, Woodcock added that discussions for the team to continue its London series “have been frequent and promising.”

East Notes: Powell, Giants, Eli, Brady

August 17th, 2015 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, the Bills added another one of Rex Ryan‘s ex-Jets, signing cornerback Ellis Lankster to their roster. That’s just one of today’s stories out of the East though, so let’s round up the latest from around the league’s two East divisions….

Ty Powell, who was a reserve linebacker and a special teams contributor for the Bills last season, may have a torn ACL, Ryan said today (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW). If that diagnosis is confirmed, it would end Powell’s season.
There’s still a chance that the Giants could pursue a free agent offensive lineman like Jake Long or Evan Mathis, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. However, as Graziano suggests, it’s not as simple as making a contract offer, since there are concerns about Long’s health and Mathis’ asking price.
With Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers having signed new contracts this offseason, a pair of New York reporters believe the other notable quarterback from the 2004 draft class should get an extension of his own. Steve Serby of the New York Post and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News both make cases for why Giants signal-caller Eli Manning should get a new deal before the season begins.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains why Patriots quarterback Tom Brady shouldn’t sue investigator Ted Wells for defamation, like former Dolphins offensive line coach Jim Turner is doing.
Before the Cowboys break training camp, owner Jerry Jones has several objectives he’d like to see the team meet, including deciding how to proceed on defense without Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain early in the season. David Moore of the Dallas Morning News has the details.

East Notes: Brady, Giants, G. Smith

August 13th, 2015 at 5:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Lawyers for the NFL and NFLPA are meeting today for more settlement talks regarding Tom Brady‘s situation, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Judge Richard M. Berman wants the two sides to compromise and reach a settlement, but Brady can’t concede to the NFL’s terms without committing perjury, argues Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports.

As Robinson explains, the league wants the Patriots quarterback to admit guilt, but Brady testified under oath that he was innocent. So if a settlement is to be reached, the NFL will likely have to give more ground than Brady and the NFLPA to make it happen.

Here’s more on the Brady situation, along with several more notes from out of the East divisions:

Judge Berman has made next Wednesday’s settlement conference optional for Brady and commissioner Roger Goodell, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks the judge may be trying to discern whether Goodell and Brady view the case as sufficiently important to attend the meeting.
Free agent guard Evan Mathis may be on the verge of signing with an NFL team, according to a recent report, but Dan Graziano of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) says he doesn’t think it’ll be the Giants, since he doesn’t believe they’re interested.
Graziano (on Twitter) also doesn’t see Jason Pierre-Paul staying with the Giants beyond 2015.
Geno Smith and IK Enemkpali are both to blame for the unrest in the Jets‘ locker room, Kristian Dyer of Metro NY writes. Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) suggests there’s a belief that Smith lacks respect within the Jets organization and may have been on his way to losing the starting job even before his injury. The quarterback underwent surgery today and had plates and screws put in, though his jaw won’t be wired shut, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link).
Don’t blame Jets coach Todd Bowles for the Smith-Enemkpali smackdown and the recent Sheldon Richardson transgressions, but start judging him now, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. How Bowles handles the team’s latest road bumps will determine what type of coach he becomes for the Jets.
Undrafted center David Andrews out of Georgia is a top candidate among the Patriots‘ four UDFAs to land a roster spot, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Evan Mathis Close To Signing With Team?

August 12th, 2015 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

A “deal could happen anytime now” for free agent guard Evan Mathis, a source close to the situation tells NFL.com’s Rand Getlin (on Twitter).

Mathis, released by the Eagles earlier this offseason, is considered one of the league’s best interior linemen. In 2014, despite playing just 608 offensive snaps, the former third-round pick ranked as the league’s best left guard, performing particularly well as a run blocker, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required). PFF had previously graded Mathis as the NFL’s No. 1 guard in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Mathis was scheduled to earn a base salary of $5.5MM under his Eagles deal, and it remains to be seen if he and agent Drew Rosenhaus can secure that type of commitment from another club. Given his age and that teams mostly have their rosters set, it’s probably unlikely that Mathis will be able to get that level of AAV.

The Bills, Vikings, Dolphins, Rams, and Patriots were among the teams said to have varying levels of trade interest in him before Philly cut him loose. The Colts, Giants, and Cardinals have all said they won’t make a play for Mathis, but Rosenhaus said earlier this offseason that he heard from at least six teams with interest in his client.

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Mathis, Jets

August 6th, 2015 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Since Evan Mathis was released by the Eagles, there have been conflicting reports on the Dolphins‘ level of interest, with some stories painting them as Mathis’ most likely suitor, while others suggest their interest has been overstated.

According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Miami’s interest in Mathis is almost entirely dependent on his price. The Dolphins would be willing to do a deal similar to what they’ve done in the past with veteran offensive linemen, paying an annual salary of $2-3MM, with no guarantees beyond the first year. However, Mathis is seeking a salary close to the $5.5MM figure he would have made in Philadelphia.

For now, Mathis is content to wait, knowing that if a team has a starting guard suffer a serious injury, or if a team’s starting guards significantly underperform in the preseason, he may come closer to get the sort of money he’s seeking.

Let’s check in on a couple more AFC East teams….

Having read Tom Brady‘s appeal hearing transcript, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that Ted Wells was an “independent” DeflateGate investigator in name only. Florio points to specific excerpts from the transcript that suggest NFL general counsel Jeff Pash had some input on Wells’ report.
Following his recent arrest, Sheldon Richardson, who is already set to serve a four-game suspension to open the season, may face additional discipline from the NFL. In fact, Jets head coach Todd Bowles sounded today like he’s resigned to the fact that Richardson will be suspended further, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.
Richardson’s uncertain future in New York won’t lead to a “massive about-face” in the Jets‘ stance with Muhammad Wilkerson, sources tell Albert Breer of NFL.com. The team plans to stick to its guns in regard to Wilkerson’s contract negotiations.

AFC East Notes: Gronk, Brady, Dolphins, Clay

August 4th, 2015 at 10:25am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this summer, an excerpt from Rob Gronkowski‘s autobiography revealed that the Patriots tight end claims he hasn’t spent a dime of his NFL salary, living off of endorsement money instead. As of July 30, Gronkowski has a little more NFL money to save up — according to Field Yates of ESPN.com, the Pats reworked their star tight end’s contract, converting $4MM of his $10MM end-of-year option bonus to a signing bonus. The option, which is due before the end of the league year, is now worth $6MM, and New England appears more likely than ever to exercise it.

Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap breaks down the unusual cap ramifications of the move, suggesting that the restructure should increase Gronkowski’s 2015 cap hit by $2MM before reducing his 2016 charge by $2MM. After that, the cap numbers for the rest of Gronkowski’s contract should remain the same.

Here’s more from around the AFC East:

NFLPA executive George Atallah confirmed today (via Twitter) that Tom Brady and union reps will attend a conference in New York on August 12 to meet with the NFL and U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman. Roger Goodell will also attend the hearing in person, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes (via Twitter) that NFLPA and NFL attorneys had a telephone conference yesterday with Mag. Judge James C. Francis regarding the Patriots quarterback’s case.
Appearing on the Jose Rose Show on 560 WQAM in Miami, Dolphins VP of football operations Mike Tannenbaum didn’t rule out pursuing free agent guard Evan Mathis, as Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post details. The Dolphins’ interest in Mathis has been downplayed recently, but I imagine they’d be very interested if one of their current guards struggles or suffers an injury.
Having brought in Rex Ryan, LeSean McCoy, Percy Harvin, and Richie Incognito over the offseason, the Bills made plenty of newsworthy moves. However, no player received more guaranteed money from the team this year than tight end Charles Clay. Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News examines how Clay is fitting in so far in Buffalo.

East Notes: Cowboys, Kelly, Mathis

August 2nd, 2015 at 12:37pm CST by Rory Parks

Jeremy Mincey is expected to end his holdout pending a meeting with Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones and head coach Jason Garrett today, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). Per Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News, Mincey arrived in Oxnard on Saturday night and will discuss a new two-year deal with the club. If the two sides strike a deal, Mincey can join his teammates later today for the fourth day of training camp practices.

Now let’s take a look at some more links from the league’s east divisions:

The Cowboys will be on the lookout for more linebacker depth, as Justin Jackson tore his ACL in a special teams walkthrough (Twitter link to ESPN’s Todd Archer).
Brandon Boykin, who was dealt from the Eagles to the Steelers last night, is the latest to take a racially-related jab at Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. Per Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com, Boykin said Kelly is “uncomfortable around grown men of our culture…He can’t relate and that makes him uncomfortable. Players excel when you let them naturally be who they are, and in my experience that hasn’t been important to him, but you guys have heard this before me.” Former Eagles LeSean McCoy and Tra Thomas have made similar comments about Kelly in the past, and although there is plenty of evidence to suggest that sentiments like those expressed by Boykin are a bit misguided, it will be interesting to see what, if any, impact this will have on Kelly’s control of his locker room.
Mychal Kendricks, who was rumored to be on the trading block, will likely remain with the Eagles as an insurance policy for DeMeco Ryans, according to Andy Schwartz of CSNPhilly.com.
Citing GM Jerry Reese, Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News tweets that Giants left tackle Will Beatty will return at some point this season, and the team has not closed the door on free agent tackle Jake Long.
The Jets, who have a hole at right guard, have spoken with free agent Evan Mathis, per Justin Tasch of The New York Daily News. However, Mathis’ asking price appears to be out of New York’s range at the moment.
We learned several days ago that Jets rookie wideout Devin Smith suffered broken ribs in Friday’s practice, and Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com reports that Smith also has a partially punctured lung. Smith will be sidelined for four to six weeks.
Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets that Bills head coach Rex Ryan has declared Richie Incognito the team’s starting left guard and Cordy Glenn the team’s starting left tackle.