Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis was holding out for a new contract. Now he’s looking for a job according to ESPN. The Philadelphia Eagles sent Mathis packing Thursday, tired of the contract issues that he’s caused over the last two offseasons.
Thanks for the memories Philly.
— Evan Mathis (@EvanMathis69) June 11, 2015
Mathis was going to be in the fourth year of the $25 million contract he signed in 2012. Mathis has been skipping the team’s mandatory organized team activities. Mathis and his agent Drew Rosenhaus had been given the OK to look for a trade since last year, but have never found any takers willing to deal with the Eagles. That’s not a worry anymore.
Ex-Eagle Evan Mathis is still a real good player. Turns 34 in November, was due $5.5 million for 2015. We'll see if he can make that up.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 11, 2015
This is late in the free agency period and a team could pick Mathis up on waivers and not be forced to negotiate a new contract with him at all. Mathis missed seven games last season, but has been one of the top-ranked guards in the NFL since 2011.
If Mathis does clear waivers, he could land anywhere that’s willing to pay him. That’s going to be tough considering so many teams have already used up a lot of their cap space and a new contract for Mathis will probably be in the $8-10 million range for this season.
So who could come after Mathis? My first thought is the Denver Broncos, who lost Ryan Clady to a torn ACL and could plug Mathis in at guard and move some other players around. The St. Louis Rams need another guard and they have the cap flexibility after unloading Sam Bradford’s contract, ironically, to Philadelphia. The San Diego Chargers and New York Giants are both legitimate options and if the San Francisco 49ers aren’t already putting in a waiver request for Mathis now, they’re morons. So they probably aren’t.
Patriots sign Matt Flynn, cut Tim Wright and Garrett Gilbert
The New Patriots will have a quarterback ready to go when the season begins, whether Tom Brady beats his suspension or not (and he won’t). The Patriots signed former Green Bay Packers back up quarterback Matt Flynn to a one-year deal.
Former Packers QB Matt Flynn reached agreement on 1-yr deal with New England Patriots, as @diannaESPN reported. Brady suspension insurance.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 11, 2015
Flynn joins the suspended Brady and former second round pick Jimmy Garoppolo in the Patriots backfield. New England cut No. 3 quarterback Garrett Gilbert before signing Flynn.
Flynn has always been a quality back up, but was beaten out twice in his chance to become a starter. Last year it was by David Carr with the Oakland Raiders. Before that it was by Russell Wilson with the Seattle Seahawks. That one seemed to work out OK for them.
Flynn’s best season was in 2013 when he returned to the Packers and replaced Aaron Rodgers, who was out for multiple games with a broken collarbone. Flynn completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,146 yards, seven touchdowns and four picks.
Cutting Tim Wright was more of a surprise move for the Patriots. Wright was very productive for New England last season, especially in the red zone with six touchdown catches. In fact, that’s been Wright’s primary job in his two seasons in the league, the first as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013. He caught five touchdowns for them. It’s likely that with the addition of Scott Chandler with entrenched tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Michael Hoomanawanui, there was just not enough space to keep Wright and setting him free now gives him plenty of time to land with another team. Don’t be surprised to see the Broncos ringing him up soon as well.
#Bucs have top waiver priority. If they wanted, they could claim Tim Wright, who they shipped to NE in the Mankins deal. A 1-year rental?
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 11, 2015
The Patriots made news Wednesday by kicking Malcolm Butler out of OTAs after being late for the first day of practice because of a cancelled flight.
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Free agent running back Knowshon Moreno will miss all of 2015 recuperating from knee injuries. Moreno played in just one game last season for the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins bolstered their defensive line by signing free agent defensive tackle C.J. Mosely to play alongside his former teammate with the Detroit Lions, Ndamukong Suh.
