NFC East Watch: Eagles Cut Pro Bowl G Evan Mathis

In his relatively short time in Philadelphia, head coach Chip Kelly has made it abundantly clear that he’s not afraid to cut ties with highly decorated veteran players, and he further cemented his reputation on Thursday afternoon when the Eagles cut ties with Pro Bowl left guard Evan Mathis.

Mathis had been unhappy with the five-year, $25 million deal he signed in 2012, was sitting out of OTAs as a result, and has had permission to look for a new team since last year. Ultimately, Mathis and the Eagles found themselves at an impasse, as evidenced by the team’s decision Thursday to just release the two-time Pro Bowler outright.

"Evan's been available to trade for two years now and we've never had an offer for him," Kelly said during the draft, per ESPN.com. "That's through his agent and him. They've asked if he could renegotiate a contract and see what he could get and we've obliged him with that, but we've never had an offer."

Also on Kelly’s watch this offseason, the team released veteran right guard Todd Herremans, linebacker Trent Cole and cornerback Cary Williams. They traded running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo and Nick Foles to St. Louis, and watched Jeremy Maclin leave for Kansas City in free agency.