mclane

Raise your hand if you saw this coming, and then put your hand down because you look weird at work.

Evan Mathis is unhappy with the way the Eagles released him, saying they strung him along. According to Zach Berman, Chip Kelly told assembled media that he released Evan Mathis last week because that’s what Mathis wanted. “We were asked by his agent for a release on multiple occasions,” Chip said. “We weren’t coming to a conclusion in terms of a contract extension – we weren’t going to extend any contract or adjust any contract, so we granted what his agent asked for.”

Kelly also said the timing of the release was to give Mathis time to catch on with another team, and because both parties had moved on. But, not so fast.

Mathis told Jeff McLane that he’d wanted to be released, but when he wasn’t and the Eagles made no moves to replace him, he figured he’d still be here. “Drew [Rosenhaus] asked if they weren’t willing to redo my deal, why wouldn’t they release me? But that was in March,” Mathis said. Getting his release back in March would have obviously helped Mathis not only catch on with another team, but also compete for the kinds of deals that other pre-draft free agents get, instead of now looking to catch on as a last-minute addition to a squad. Mathis had also previously said that he was making plans to show up when OTAs became mandatory, before he got the call to say he’d been released.

In yesterday’s Crossing Streams podcast (coming soon), Kyle and I discussed Chip Kelly’s alleged racism and handling of former players. And it might not be that he’s racist, or that he’s a coach who requires a certain type of guy, he just may be completely without grace when it comes to moving on from a player. That’s fine. But it’s not a good look. Especially in this case, where Kelly seems to think – or at least claim – he did Mathis a favor, when in reality he did the exact opposite.

Kyle: I’m buying what Chip is selling, but eventually this stuff comes back to bite you. DeSean release is a mess. LeSean trade is a mess. Cary Williams is an ass. And now Mathis, too, is a mess. You get a reputation, fair or unfair. Chip’s seems to be becoming: that guy is unreasonable. That’s not good.