Free-agent Mathis a no-go for now
The Jets have a hole at right guard and they have considered veteran free agent Evan Mathis to fill it, but it sounds like his asking price is too high right now.
The Eagles released Mathis in June, surprising many people around the league. The twotime Pro Bowler remains on the street, a sign he is probably asking for a huge contract.
The Jets are having a competition at right guard this summer, so it would make sense to plug that hole with a proven player if the price is right.
“We’ve had talks with Evan’s agent,” Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said. “They have a range where they want to be. The other thing with a lot of teams honestly at this point in time you almost want to kind of see what you have first to a certain degree. Obviously, Evan’s a good player. As this thing plays out a little bit, we’ll get a better feel for that. The thing is, too, Evan may have a value he’s looking for right now that may not be in the value of what teams can potentially spend on him. We’ll see how that develops.”
Maccagnan added nothing is imminent with Mathis.
Brian Winters and Brent Qvale are currently competing for the starting spot on the Jets. Veteran Willie Colon is expected to fight for the job once he is cleared from the physically unable to perform list.
Maccagnan basically echoed coach Todd Bowles’ thoughts on Sheldon Richardson’s arrest. Maccagnan stressed that they want to help Richard son as a person before they worry about Richardson as a player.
“There is a degree of trust that has been broken, but we’re supportive of him and there’s a lot of resources in this building that we want to make available to him,” he said. “Our door is always open. There definitely has to be a better line of communication with Sheldon and us.”
Maccagnan said he would let things play out before saying anything about Richardson’s longterm status with the team. Richardson already is facing a fourgame suspension for violating the league’s substanceabuse policy. Maccagnan said he is not sure if the NFL will extend that suspension after this incident.