National Football League

Ravens likely keeping tabs on Evan Mathis market

Published Jun. 12, 2015 5:41 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

The Ravens don't have a need at offensive guard, but that doesn't mean they won't be paying attention to the Evan Mathis situation.

Mathis was surprisingly released by Chip Kelly's Eagles Thursday amid a contract dispute. It will be interesting to see what kind of dollars Mathis will command on the open market.

Mathis was rated as the top guard in the league from 2011-13 by Pro Football Focus, a reign that was ended this past season by Baltimore's Marshal Yanda. 

Yanda and fellow starting guard Kelechi Osemele are both seeking lucrative extensions, with Yanda likely being the highest priority due to his All-Pro status. General manager Ozzie Newsome recently expressed frustration with the lack of progress in negotiations with Yanda.

Mathis, who was set to make $5.5 million in 2015 -- the same as Yanda -- should draw strong interest on the open market considering he's the best offensive lineman available. The contract he gets will likely set the bar for upcoming deals for both Yanda and Osemele. It's unlikely the Ravens will be able to re-sign both players to huge dollar amounts. 

Might the Ravens pursue Mathis themselves knowing they may lose at least one of their starting guards? Probably not. Osemele is seven years younger than Mathis, so it wouldn't make much sense to pay Mathis over him. Not to mention that the Ravens also have backup and resident math genius John Urschel waiting in the wings.

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League