The Philadelphia Eagles gave huge extensions to two of their best offensive linemen earlier this offseason in star left tackle Jason Peters and stud center Jason Kelce, but it was interesting to see them not give left guard Evan Mathis an extension. Mathis is clearly the best guard in the game (and he has stiff competition from the likes of Marshal Yanda), so his lack of an extension made some wonder if he would consider holding out in training camp. Mathis downplayed these rumors and reported to all offseason workouts, but there were still rumblings that he would hold out after asking for more money early in the offseason.
FanSided
According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mathis has indeed reported to training camp and will not hold out. It’s not surprising news, but I’m sure Eagles fans are glad that they won’t have to worry about a contract dispute at this time of the year. Mathis won’t be taking the Alex Boone route, as Boone is holding out from the San Francisco 49ers. While Boone isn’t as good as Mathis, he’s a great guard in his own right and has the advantage of being about five years younger.
At 32, Mathis is still in the prime of his career as a guard, but it looks like he’ll have to settle for making $11.5 million over the next two seasons. That’s solid money, but Mathis is admittedly worth more than that. More concerning for him, though, is the fact that he’ll finish his career without the massive payday he feels his play has deserved. On the bright side, at least people finally recognize how great of a player he is, as he’s consistently wowed observers with his ridiculously good run blocking.