Unfortunately for Eagles fans, Chip Kelly and Evan Mathis took more shots at each other than Floyd Mayweather took at Manny Pacquaiao.
It is no secret that Evan Mathis has been unhappy about his contract. Each of the last two seasons, Mathis has requested permission to seek a trade from the Eagles.
There was rampant speculation that the Eagles would trade Mathis during the draft. But to many people's surprise, it never happened.
After the draft, Chip Kelly was asked about the state of the Eagles offensive line after the Eagles failed to draft an offensive lineman for the second year in a row. The conversation quickly turned to the Eagles' disgruntled All-Pro guard.
When asked whether Kelly expects Mathis back, Kelly replied "That's a question for Evan."
Kelly was asked if the uncertainty surrounding Mathis forced the Eagles to trade him. Things got interesting real quick: "We have never had an offer for Evan so there is nothing to take," Kelly replied. "Evan has been available to trade for two years now and we have never had an offer for him. That's through his agent and him. They've asked us if he can renegotiate a contract and see what he can get and we've obliged them with that, but we've never had an offer on him."
That quote came off as a shot at Mathis — and it spread across the internet like wildfire, being picked up by every major football network.
It didn't take long for Mathis to respond:
Deez.
— Evan Mathis (@EvanMathis69) May 2, 2015
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess this situation is not going to end well. Mathis is clearly frustrated that the Eagles have refused to rework his contract, but has been unable to find a team willing to trade for him. His only recourse is to not show up to Eagles camp and hope that he gets cut.
However, the Eagles put themselves in a bind by failing to draft an offensive lineman for the second year in a row. After jettisoning Todd Herramens, the Eagles realistic options along the interior are Matt Tobin, Allen Barbe, and Andrew Gardner. In other words, they would be woefully thing at the offensive line if they just outright release Mathis.
Last year, a showdown was avoided as Mathis surprised everyone by reporting to camp. But after this latest exchange, it seems like there is no way to repair this relationship.
