Evan Mathis - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: Hardy, Brady, Mathis

May 26th, 2015 at 5:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The appeal hearing for Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy will be conducted on Thursday morning with Harold Henderson in Washington D.C., according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Hardy was hit with a 10-game suspension earlier this offseason for his role in a domestic violence incident that took place roughly one year ago. Hardy made the Pro Bowl in 2013 after he compiled a career-high 15 sacks, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him as the second-best overall defensive end in the league. Here’s a look at the AFC and NFC East..

The only thing delaying the date for Tom Brady‘s appeal is finding a date that works for both the Patriots quarterback and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Werder tweets.
Evan Mathis was a no-show for start of Eagles OTAs, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The workouts, much like the previous programs that Mathis missed, are all voluntary. Mandatory minicamp starts on June 16th.
The Jets promoted Matt Bazirgan to become the new pro personnel director, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Bazirgan, who has been with Jets since 2004, was an area scout for eight years before being promoted to assistant pro personnel director in 2013. Bazirgan replaces Brendan Prophett, who spent nine seasons as the head of the Jets’ pro personnel department.

La Canfora’s Latest: Bennett, Eagles, Titans

May 6th, 2015 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Michael Bennett and his agent have “made it clear” he’d rather not return to the Seahawks, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Of course, as La Canfora points out, the Seahawks typically don’t budge when it comes to trades or contract situation, so while the two sides may be able to work something out that makes sense for all parties, Bennett may not go anywhere or sign a new contract in the next few months.

Bennett and various members of the Seahawks organization have repeatedly denied a rumor that he wants to be traded. However, that initial report came from another reporter, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, so the fact that La Canfora has heard similar rumblings suggests there may be something to it. It wouldn’t be surprising if, at the very least, Bennett wants to rework his deal, considering he’s one of the league’s best pass rushers and is earning a relatively modest $7MM per year.

Here are a few more tidbits from La Canfora’s piece on potential trade candidates:

Whether it’s this week or the week before the season begins, the Eagles will trade Evan Mathis at some point, in La Canfora’s opinion. The CBSSports.com scribe adds that Chip Kelly was trying to move Mychal Kendricks for a second-round pick in the week leading up to the draft. La Canfora predicts that Philadelphia will eventually get a late-round pick for Mathis and a fourth-rounder for Kendricks.
While the Titans say they don’t plan to move Zach Mettenberger after drafting Marcus Mariota, the second-year QB would “relish a change of scenery,” per La Canfora.
La Canfora views the Browns as the most logical potential suitor for Muhammad Wilkerson, suggesting that while the Jets won’t shop the standout defensive lineman, they should at least be willing to listen. The Bears, Saints, and Raiders would all be reasonable fits as well, according to La Canfora, who thinks a team should offer a first- and third-round pick for Wilkerson.
A veteran backup like Jason Campbell or Tarvaris Jackson would be a better match for Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers than Mike Glennon, who continues to be a trade candidate, writes La Canfora.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Pats, Gaffney, Collins

May 3rd, 2015 at 3:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Draft grades are often controversial — some love them, but others think it’s foolhardy to judge draft picks mere hours after they are selected. While we won’t know the true effect of prospects in the NFL for at least a couple of years, Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN (Insider subscription required) has provided his rapid reaction to the weekend’s events. One of his favorite draft classes is that of the Jets, whom Kiper handed a “A-” after they came away with Leonard Williams, Devon Smith, Bryce Petty, and others. And, as Kiper adds, New York brought in veteran receiver Brandon Marshall using a fifth-round pick, so their crop of additions looks even better after factoring him in.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the AFC East:

The Patriots did express interest in Eagles guard Evan Mathis, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link), but the fact that Mathis hasn’t been traded yet means he’ll probably stay in Philadelphia. Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said yesterday that he’s yet to receive a formal offer for Mathis.
Though they didn’t select a running back over the weekend, the Patriots are likely to add a veteran in the coming weeks, says Howe (via Twitter), who suggests that Ahmad Bradshaw and Pierre Thomas are among the backs who could intrigue New England.
One player who could contribute to the Patriots backfield this season is second-year pro Tyler Gaffney, whom New England claimed off waivers from the Panthers last year. Though Gaffney spent all of 2014 on injured reserve, Pats head coach Bill Belichick reportedly “loves him” (per Howe on Twitter), so he could be in line for snaps in 2015.
La’el Collins is represented by Priority Sports, which Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) confirms is the firm that current Dolphins football operations czar Mike Tannenbaum previously worked for. The connection could end up being inconsequential, but it’s fair to wonder if Miami could have up a leg up in signing the LSU product.
Rich Cimini of ESPN.com praises rookie Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan for his first draft, noting that Maccagnan used a best player available strategy, but also wasn’t afraid to move up and down the draft board, picking up assets (Devier Posey and Zac Stacy) in the process.

Eagles Notes: Mathis, Lions, Collins

May 2nd, 2015 at 4:17pm CST by Rob DiRe

Before the draft, many fans and pundits expected the Eagles to be aggressive in moving up to try to get Marcus Mariota and other players in order to strengthen the roster, putting current players and future draft picks on the trading block in order to create packages to go after prospects they valued highly.

They did trade up once in the early rounds to select Eric Rowe, but actually leave the weekend without trading any players and actually managed to come away with an extra 2016 third-round pick after trading their fourth-round pick to the Lions.

Here are a few notes surrounding the Chip Kelly and the Eagles on trades and the NFL Draft:

Evan Mathis is one player who has been rumored to be available, but he remains an Eagle even if he has a strenuous relationship with his head coach. Kelly said that Mathis has been available for two years now, and no team has made an offer for him yet, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (via Twitter).
No offer may have been on the table, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Lions had some interest in Mathis before acquiring two guards in the first round (Laken Tomlinson at No. 28, and Manny Ramirez via trade from the Broncos).
Kelly also confirmed that controversial prospect La’el Collins was removed from the team’s draft board following his recent legal issues, despite his first-round talent, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).

East Rumors: Jets, Flowers, Giants

May 1st, 2015 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets had cursory talks with the Titans about moving up for the No. 2 , but they weren’t exploring the move to try and land Marcus Mariota, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East..

Brandon Scherff was higher on the Giants‘ board than Ereck Flowers, but they did not expect Scherff to get to No. 9, Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News tweets. Many speculated that the Giants were left scrambling at No. 9 with Scherff off the board, but it sounds like they were never banking on the Iowa standout.
The Giants did not make any effort to trade up to the Jets‘ No. 6 pick when USC defensive end Leonard Williams fell to the Jets at that spot, Vacchiano tweets.
Despite a report to the contrary, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter) says the Dolphins have never expressed interest in Evan Mathis of the Eagles.
More from Salguero (link), who notes that the Dolphins wanted Todd Gurley. According to a team source, they were prepared to move up for him, but didn’t expect him to go as high as he did. “It’s not like we sat on our hands while he went No. 13. He went No. 10,” the source said.
The Cowboys taking Byron Jones in the first round should create some leverage for a Brandon Carr pay cut and give the Cowboys the upper hand in Orlando Scandrick‘s contract dispute, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets.

East Notes: Eagles, Jordan, Mathis, Cowboys

April 28th, 2015 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

When Adam Schefter of ESPN.com first reported today that Dion Jordan had been suspended for the 2015 NFL season – news that has since been confirmed by the Dolphins – he also added another interesting tidbit, noting that the Eagles were nearing a trade for Jordan prior to his latest ban.

Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer has some additional details on those trade talks between the Dolphins and Eagles, tweeting that Jordan would’ve gone to Philadelphia for a conditional late-round pick. Per McLane, veteran guard Evan Mathis was also discussed, but it doesn’t appear Mathis would’ve been involved in the deal, if it had been finalized.

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:

Speaking today to reporters, including David Helman of DallasCowboys.com (Twitter link), Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said having the No. 27 pick increases the team’s chances of moving around in the draft, either up or down. Per Helman (Twitter links), Jones also classified Dallas’ need at running back as “not urgent,” suggesting that defense is a much greater priority. In Jones’ view, running back is merely a position of interest, while the D must be improved “by hook or crook.”
General manager Doug Whaley made a visit to meet with Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty today, a source tells Joe Buscaglia of WKBW.com. Peter Schrager of Fox Sports adds (via Twitter) that Whaley isn’t the only member of the Bills‘ front office in Dallas to have dinner with the young signal-caller. Petty is viewed as a probable day two pick in this week’s draft.
Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links) provides the specific details on Chris Jones‘ new three-year contract with the Cowboys. Based on Wilson’s figures, the deal features a $1MM cap number for 2015.
The Dolphins met with Miami running back Duke Johnson today, since a conflict with a Colts workout had prevented him from attending the team’s local pro day, tweets Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Former TCU quarterback Casey Pachall and ex-Patriots defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick are among the players attending the Jets‘ minicamp as tryout players, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter links). Deaderick has also played for the Saints and Jaguars since spending three seasons in New England.

East Notes: Dez, JPP, Giants, Mathis, Jets

April 20th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

Most teams around the NFL begin their voluntary offseason programs today, and a handful of players in the NFC East won’t be in attendance at their respective teams’ workouts. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Cowboys will be without franchise player Dez Bryant and underpaid cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reports that another franchise player, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, will be absent for the Giants.

Meanwhile, Eagles guard Evan Mathis, who attended the team’s voluntary workouts last spring amid trade rumors, won’t do the same this year, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who tweets that Mathis is staying away for now. Asked about his absence, the veteran offensive lineman jokingly replied, “I’m in Antarctica looking for frozen dinosaurs to extract their DNA and splice them with my chihuahuasaur” (Twitter link via McLane).

While we wish Mathis the best of luck on his Antarctic expedition, let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:

The Jets likely won’t select Breshad Perriman with the sixth overall pick, when one or both of Kevin White and Amari Cooper could still be on the board, but New York is doing its homework anyway, hosting the UCF wideout for a visit today, a league source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
There’s a good chance that the Giants will re-sign safety Stevie Brown soon, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. According to Schwartz, Brown would like to return to New York, but wanted to see if he could do better than the one-year deal the Giants offered him. However, it doesn’t appear that any other potential suitors are willing to do a longer-term contract.
As the Giants continue to consider options at safety, Raanan tweets that Virginia defensive back Anthony Harris – who is capable of playing the free safety position – visited the team this weekend.
Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post has details on another Giants pre-draft meeting, reporting that Purdue running back Akeem Hunt is visiting the club today.

Eagles Notes: Bradford, Mathis, Barwin

March 25th, 2015 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Eagles head coach Chip Kelly drew a big crowd at this morning’s NFC coaches’ breakfast in Arizona, and many of those reporters in attendance passed along noteworthy comments and quotes from the team’s de facto GM. Here are a few of the highlights from Kelly, with all links going to the Twitter accounts of various reporters in Phoenix:

Since being offered a first-round pick shortly after he acquired Sam Bradford from the Rams, Kelly hasn’t received any other trade inquiries involving the quarterback. As for that original offer, Kelly declined to confirm which team offered the first-rounder pick for Bradford, but it was certainly the Browns, who also offered the Rams the 19th overall pick for the QB.
Discussing the Bradford trade, Kelly said the Eagles had originally tried to get the deal done with just picks, in the hopes of keeping Nick Foles, but the Rams wanted Foles as part of the package.
According to Kelly, the Eagles haven’t actively shopped guard Evan Mathis, but the club has given Mathis and his agent permission to seek a possible trade. At the end of the day, Kelly said, he’s willing to listen to offers for any player.
Explaining the decision to spend big on cornerback Byron Maxwell and not wideout Jeremy Maclin, Kelly indicated that there had been an imbalance of money devoted to the offensive side of the ball, as opposed to the defensive side of the ball, and “it showed” on the field.
Kelly confirmed that Connor Barwin‘s contract restructure didn’t help the Eagles’ cap at all — Kelly reworked the deal simply because he felt like Barwin had exceeded and outperformed his initial contract.
It sounds as if wide receiver will be an area the club targets in the draft. Kelly said today that wide receiver may be the position with the most depth in this year’s draft class.
The Eagles remain active in some discussions with free agents, but Kelly isn’t sure if the team will sign any more players.
Although Kelly said today that LeSean McCoy wasn’t “moving off” his large cap number – prompting the team to part ways with him – Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer hears from sources that the team never approached the running back about restructuring his deal.

Extra Points: Peterson, Rivers, Murray, Hardy

March 23rd, 2015 at 10:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the league as we wrap up this Monday evening…

Adrian Peterson‘s agent, Ben Dogra, reiterated that his client shouldn’t be playing for the Vikings in 2015. “I don’t think it’s in the best interests of [Adrian Peterson] to play for the Minnesota Vikings,” Dogra said (via Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole on Twitter).
However, Vikings owner Mark Wilf whistled a different tune to USA Today’s Tom Pelissero. “He’s an important part of the Minnesota Vikings and we look forward to him being part of our team in 2015,” the owner said (Twitter link).
Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said the the team isn’t considering trading quarterback Philip Rivers, according to ESPN.com’s Eric Williams (on Twitter).
ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson says (via Twitter) the Raiders are not currently pursuing Eagles offensive guard Evan Mathis.
Jaguars general manager David Caldwell said the Eagles offer to DeMarco Murray exceeded his team’s offer by a “large amount,” tweets Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett touched on his team’s addition of defensive end Greg Hardy (via David Moore of SportsDayDFW.com on Twitter): “If we didn’t believe that Greg Hardy could become the right kind of guy we would not have signed him.”
Moore also tweets that the Cowboys have interest in bringing back linebacker Rolando McClain, but Garrett said the sides haven’t made any recent progress on a contract.

AFC Rumors: Fins, Bush, Pats, Gresham, Titans

March 13th, 2015 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

After signing Jordan Cameron and completing a deal for Kenny Stills, the Dolphins may not be done making moves, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, who notes that the team continues to work on a possible long-term deal for tight end Charles Clay. Beasley adds that the team appears to be open to keeping Mike Wallace, but that may hinge on the wideout’s willingness to redo his contract, so it looks like that situation remains uncertain for the time being.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

Running back Reggie Bush is moving forward with his Patriots visit, and is meeting with the team today, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. We heard yesterday that a meeting with the Pats was on Bush’s schedule. The former Lion, who has also visited San Francisco this week, could be a good fit in a Shane Vereen-type role. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) believes there’s a good chance the Patriots could come away with either Bush or Percy Harvin, noting that the team has interest in both players.
According to Tom Curran of CSNNE.com (via Twitter), the Patriots aren’t currently in on any trade talks for Eagles guard Evan Mathis. We heard yesterday that New England had expressed interest in Mathis, who appears to be on the trade block.
A source tells Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) that despite the team trying to lock him up this week, talks between the Raiders and tight end Jermaine Gresham are “dead for now.”
Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link) hears that free agent offensive tackle Joe Barksdale is an option the Titans will consider. Tennessee lost two tackles this offseason, as Michael Roos retired and Michael Oher was released.