Moving on from Evan Mathis Would Be Huge Mistake for Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles’ offseason has been baffling and downright bizarre, though, still defensible with many caveats. That will change if guard Evan Mathis is traded or released.

If running backs DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews stay healthy, the Eagles could have one of the NFL’s most dynamic backfields.

If quarterback Sam Bradford’s knee can remain in one piece—a mission he’s failed in two straight seasons, both ending with the same torn ACL—head coach Chip Kelly’s quick-strike passing scheme could be the perfect opportunity for a career revival. And if Jordan Matthews makes an anticipated second-year leap, Jeremy Maclin will become a memory.

A lot of rabbit-foot rubbing and voodoo-doll poking needs to happen for a glow from the heavens to shine on the Eagles, making sure all of those moving parts align perfectly. But it’s all still possible...until we consider a life without Mathis.

That’s not a life Bradford wants to live with his knee, which is presumably held together using popsicle sticks and gum. It’s also not the ideal existence for Murray, who just endured a 497-touch season (including playoffs), and the Eagles will be looking for an immediate return on his $5 million cap hit in 2015.

Yet it seems that’s a future Kelly is willing to embrace, attempting to rid himself of an older, though not declining, All-Pro guard whose level of play far exceeds his cost.

USA Today’s Jim Corbett has observed this strange dance at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona, with Mathis’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, gauging interest in a trade after his client was quite openly put up for sale.

Exploring the trade value of aging assets is standard late-March operating procedure around the NFL. But considering a release—which would be the next move for Mathis, according to a report from Geoff Mosher of CSN Philly—and being determined to rid yourself of a premier player at his position is a sign that perhaps Kelly needs to chill out in that ice tub again for a bit.

Kelly has an apparent need to make sure every area of the Eagles' roster is refurbished in his image. He was given control over all personnel decisions earlier this offseason, and the result has been a man making deals as though he was mashing buttons during an especially intense game of Frogger.

Bradford was obtained in a trade when he swapped quarterback-needy franchises with Nick Foles. Before that, a trade sending LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills shook the Eagles’ foundation. The cap room created by the McCoy deal was then used to bring in Mathews and Murray.

Which is when the fog really begins to collect around a possible—and now likely—future without Mathis.

Loading up on talented, though brittle, power runners and letting Maclin walk indicates Kelly intends to field an even more run-focused offense. That’s an easy conclusion to land on when Riley Cooper is still a starting wide receiver, and Murray flirted with Adrian Peterson’s single-season rushing record in 2014 before finishing with 1,845 yards on the ground (still the 17th-best season of all time).

A guard who’s consistently the best at what he does—blocking, impeding and generally punishing—seems like a pretty critical piece for continued success in a run-oriented offense, right?

Entertaining the thought of Mathis playing elsewhere leads to a value-based discussion. Why pay him anything of significance when time is becoming his enemy?

Let’s address Mathis’ birth certificate then, and the problem with leaning heavily on age when assessing a player who’s shown little sign of decay.

Mathis missed a chunk of the 2014 season due to a sprained MCL suffered in Week 1. However, he was immediately effective after returning and among the league’s best interior pass protectors during his nine regular-season games.

Guard	Passing snaps	Pressures allowed
Khalif Barnes	180	6
Mike Pollak	214	7
Manuel Ramirez	304	9
Evan Mathis	334	9
Kevin Zeitler	390	9

He also allowed only two sacks on 1,187 snaps in 2013, again per PFF.

The Eagles just gave a 27-year-old running back who’s faced significant abuse $18 million guaranteed at signing. That puts Murray among the top five highest-paid at his position in terms of guaranteed money, per Spotrac, and it essentially makes his contract a two-year deal, followed by three option years.

A short-term investment on that level needs to be maximized, and retaining Mathis—a guard who was graded by Pro Football Focus as the league’s third-best run-blocker at his position in 2014—would certainly help.

His decline phase hasn’t arrived yet. Any mild concern about a sudden drop-off in play should be trumped by the Eagles’ clear need for a trusted interior lineman who can clear lanes for Murray while also making sure Bradford’s knee stays functional and not shredded (again). In 2013, Mathis allowed a pressure only once every 24.3 passing snaps, per PFF.

Again with feeling then: Mathis is the NFL’s best guard, and it’s not close.

It’s difficult to separate age and money, because they’re forever connected in any contract kerfuffle. And we don’t have to do that here.

Mathis’ contract reflects his age. His scheduled pay in 2015 makes the Eagles’ eagerness to move on from an All-Pro guard that much more confusing.

If we were to place him somewhere on a spectrum with cheap on one end and wildly expensive on the other, Mathis falls closer to the former. Or at worst he’s comfortably in the middle considering the top-tier performance the Eagles are consistently receiving.

Mathis is slated to earn a base salary of $5.5 million in 2015, with a cap hit of $6.5 million, all per Spotrac. As always, the cap number is what really matters when we’re discussing a player’s value relative to the current market and if it’s wise for his team to invest that money elsewhere.

So how do Mathis’ dollars stack up? The best guard in the league is barely hanging on to a top-10 cap hit.

Guard	Age	Cap hit
Jahri Evans	31	$11 million
Andy Levitre	28	$8.6 million
Marshal Yanda	30	$8.45 million
Rodger Saffold	26	$8.25 million
Josh Sitton	28	$7 million
Logan Mankins	33	$7 million
Mike Iupati	27	$6.7 million
Evan Mathis	33	$6.5 million
Louis Vasquez	27	$6.25 million
T.J. Lang	27	$5.8 million

What you’re seeing there: A guard who is, in fact, paid appropriately. At least for the Eagles he is, because from where Mathis sits, he’s underpaid.

That’s why he’s spent two straight offseasons asking for a pay hike, according to Mosher. Each time the response from the Eagles has been the same. Basically, they’ve said “nope, we’re not paying you, but someone else might” and then proceeded to put him on the trade block.

A year ago nothing came of it, and eventually Mathis perhaps grumbled while saying some colorful words, but he still reported to training camp. This time the end feels near, though, it’ll likely come through a release.

Which leads us to this breaking news: It seems reports of an imminent release can kill a player’s trade value.

Why would a general manager give up anything—anything at all—for a player who will be available as a free agent soon? As Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports, there’s predictably little willingness to ship draft picks to the Eagles in exchange for Mathis.

So with that, the end of Mathis in Philadelphia is beginning to feel inevitable, though, there's still hope common sense will win this fight.

He’s old but not declining, or even hinting at a sudden plummet. He’s well-compensated but still has an affordable salary given his near-flawless play. And he would be an especially curious cap casualty for a team that’s not exactly in dire need of space while sitting $7.7 million below the league’s spending limit, per OverTheCap.com.

Curious dismantling has been a theme for the Eagles this offseason. Removing a core pillar like Mathis could quickly end in crumbling.