Speculation has been spread that the Jets would be a good landing spot for the 33 year old guard Evan Mathis who was recently released by the Eagles. Mathis is a Pro Bowl type guard who would be a fit on many teams. Is he a player the Jets could use to sure up their offensive line? Absolutely.. However, while he is a position fit, he is NOT a salary cap fit. Mathis was cut simply because he sat out OTA’s in a contract dispute. He was not happy with his 5 year 25 million dollar contract he was under while with the Eagles. According to the website Spotrac.com the Jets are $ $5,281,528 under the 2015 cap. For them to bring in Mathis they would have to rework some contracts or cut some players.
I think the Jets will pass on Mathis and see how the current guards on the roster handle themselves early on in training camp before making a move at the position. They don’t lack guards on their roster. Including Free Agent James Carpenter and 5th round pick Jarvis Harrison, the Jets have six guards currently under contract with Carpenter being the highest paid guard on the team making $1.5 million this season.
Will new GM Mike Maccagnan fight the urge to splurge on Mathis? That remains to be seen but I think the chances are, he will.