OG Evan Mathis Signs with the Arizona Cardinals
After pulling off a major trade for New England Patriots pass rusher Chandler Jones involving offensive lineman Jonathan Cooper, the Arizona Cardinals needed to patch some holes in their offensive line.
They got a major plug for their offensive line by signing veteran offensive guard Evan Mathis to a one year contract worth $6 million.
Rated as the seventh best offensive guard by Pro Football Focus, Mathis will be a big piece to both the Cardinals run and pass game. Pro Football Focus also rated him as the number one offensive guard when it comes to run blocking. Creating big holes for David Johnson is something the Cardinals will love to see from him.
Per source, G Evan Mathis has agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal with the Cardinals. He takes Jonathan Cooper's spot on the roster.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 16, 2016
Evan Mathis was once considered to be just an NFL journey man after spending the first seven years of his career on three different teams, but he found incredible success when he joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2011.
He spent four seasons with the Eagles and instantly became a fan favorite with his strange, yet charismatic personality.
Pro Football Focus rated Mathis as the best guard in the NFL for the 2011, 2012, and 2013 season. In 2014 he was rated as the second best guard in the league despite missing time with an injury.
After missing those seven games in 2014, Mathis was released by Chip Kelly prior to the start of the season. The belief was that Kelly did not like Mathis holding out for a new contract during OTAs and decided to go on without him and his personality.
The Broncos signed Mathis prior to the season to a one year, $2.5 million contract. He ended up being a great pick up for John Elway and was a big piece of the Broncos Super Bowl Championship.
Despite turning 35 during the 2016 season, Mathis is still a very productive NFL lineman. The Cardinals pass blocking was one of the worst in the NFL, receiving a ranking of 29th in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
Evan Mathis is another big loss for the Denver Broncos. So far in free agency, the Broncos have lost QB Brock Osweiler, DL Malik Jackson, OT Ryan Clady, and LB Danny Trevathan. They did match the Miami Dolphins offer sheet for running back CJ Anderson, something they were not expected to do.
They also traded for quarterback Mark Sanchez, a former first round pick of the New York Jets. They sent his former team the Philadelphia Eagles a conditional future seventh round draft pick.