The Philadelphia Eagles are known to be shopping left guard Evan Mathis, but finding a team willing to trade a draft pick for a 33-year-old player coming off an injury-shortened season might be difficult, even if the player in question is still one of the best offensive linemen in the league.
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According to a report by CSN Philly, if the Eagles can’t move Mathis in a trade they could consider cutting him. If the Eagles do cut Mathis, the Minnesota Vikings will have to take a long hard look at possibly picking him up.
Though Mathis missed seven games in 2014 due to a sprained knee, he still performed at a high enough level to earn a Pro Bowl spot. PFF ranked him as the #2 guard in all of football even though he played only nine games.
Clearly, Mathis would be a huge upgrade over what the Vikings currently have at left guard. After cutting Charlie Johnson, a below-average player in 2014, the Vikes are left with journeyman Joe Berger, second-year man David Yankey and possibly Mike Harris at the position. Even at his advanced age and with injury questions hanging over his head, Mathis looks like a better option than any of those three men.
Trading a late-round pick to avoid letting Mathis hit the open market would be a more attractive option if he wasn’t carrying cap hits of $6.5 million and $7 million for the next two years. If he does hit the market and the Vikings can pick him up for cheap, I don’t see why they wouldn’t at least pursue him.
Would you rather go into 2015 with a potential Pro Bowler at left guard or Joe Berger? I’m sure Rick Spielman will be monitoring this situation closely.
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