PHOENIX — If the Eagles can’t find a trade partner for left guard Evan Mathis, they could be just as willing to show him the door as they were two years ago for DeSean Jackson.
Mathis, who was on the trade block last offseason and is back there again, might be cast off into the free-agent waters if the Eagles can’t deal him, according to a source close to the situation.
Right now, the source said, the team is “actively looking” to deal the 33-year-old lineman. Head coaches and executives from all 32 NFL teams are at the luxurious Arizona Biltmore resort this week for the annual owners meetings. It’s an informal environment outside of the meetings but business can be consummated.
If traded or released, Mathis would follow in the footsteps of LeSean McCoy, Nick Foles, Jeremy Maclin, Cary Williams, Todd Herremans and Trent Cole as high-profile cap casualties sent packing this offseason as head coach Chip Kelly overhauls the roster in his first season with total personnel control.
If he’s released, Mathis hopes the Eagles pull the trigger soon, the source said, while other teams still have money left to spend on this year’s free-agent crop.
The source said the decision to shop Mathis is completely Kelly’s and added that the Eagles are either looking to save money or continue to rebuild the roster around a younger nucleus — or both.
They could also be irked by Mathis’ repeated attempts to have his contract reworked. Mathis carries cap hits of $6.5 million in 2015 and $7 million in 2016 as part of the five-year, $26.7 million extension he signed March 19, 2013, after choosing to rejoin the Eagles instead of bolting for the Ravens’ offer.
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Only $2 million of Mathis’ remaining contract is guaranteed from his signing bonus — $1 million apiece this season and next — so the Eagles would save $11.5 million over the next two seasons if they cut him, absorbing only a $2 million dead-money hit.
Mathis’ camp has approached the Eagles twice in the past two offseasons to discuss a restructure that would pad Mathis’ salary. Both times, the source said, the Eagles rebuffed his request and responded by informing him that he would be shopped.
Teams are typically reluctant to give up draft compensation for a player they believe will be released, but trades for veterans occasionally take place during the offseason.
The Saints, who are also reshaping their roster and trying to improve their defense, recently dealt 33-year-old guard Ben Grubbs, a two-time Pro Bowler, to the Chiefs for a fifth-round pick. Kansas City took on $13.9 million in base salary over the next two years, none of it guaranteed. Mathis is two years older and any team that trades for him owes him $13.5 million over the next two years, also not guaranteeed.
The source also didn’t slam the door on Mathis' returning to the Eagles, but Kelly hasn’t shown much reluctance to get rid of veterans, even if it means eating dead money.
The Eagles have taken about $12 million in cap hits this season on Cole, Herremans, Williams, McCoy and Foles, although they’ve saved more than $60 million in future money.
Mathis made his second straight Pro Bowl last season despite playing just nine games. He severely sprained his knee in the season opener and was placed on the injured reserve list with return designation.