The NFL free agent market has Evan Mathis, Shonn Greene, Wes Welker and James Jones as options for teams heading into training camp and the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos could be interested in bringing them in for depth on the roster.
Mathis was released by the Eagles ahead of mandatory minicamp, while Shonn Greene was cut loose by the Tennessee Titans. Wes Welker, James Jones and Reggie Wayne remain available as veteran wideouts on the market and they could be options for depth for the Seattle Seahawks heading into training camp. According to NFL.com, the Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos and NY Giants are options for Mathis, while the San Francisco 49ers also could be interested.
According to Mike Fisher at 103.5 the Fan in Dallas, the Cowboys could be open to signing Greene, as they are looking to add more depth behind Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden. The team signed Lache Seastrunk with McFadden and Ryan Williams dealing with injuries, but he is only expected to be a camp player. Greene had back to back 1K seasons with the Jets, but his time with the Titans was not impressive over the past two years.
The Seahawks reportedly are looking to add depth at wide receiver and James Jones could be an option after he led the Raiders in receiving last year. Welker has not received much attention on the market, while Wayne's market has been non-existent this spring. The Raiders have cap space and they could look at signing Mathis, while the Broncos and Giants are dealing with injuries on the offensive line and could bring in the guard. The Giants lost Will Beatty this offseason for up to six months, while Ryan Clady is out for the Broncos and they may shift around their offensive line.
Mathis reportedly wanted "a lot of money" from the Eagles and that likely was the main reason why he was let go by Chip Kelly. Mathis said that he was planning to show up to mandatory minicamp before being released and now reports have him potentially waiting until training camp to sign. Mathis was set to make $5.5 million this year and $6 million next season and he was looking to get a raise each of the past two offseasons.
Mathis is considered to be one of the top guards in the league based on ratings from Pro Football Focus and numerous teams could look at signing him. Mathis watches as Mike Iupati got a big free agent contract and he likely was looking get closer to that range, although he is five years older than Iupati. The Eagles feel that the roster is strong enough to deal with the loss of Mathis and he is another veteran player on his way out of Philly with Chip Kelly in charge, following LeSean McCoy, Nick Foles and DeSean Jackson. Mathis reportedly wanted a $3 million raise to $8.5 million for this season, but the Eagles were only willing to go $1 million.
