Guard Evan Mathis Retired today. While he made a joke of it to reporters indicating he might come back to play defensive end, reports suggest his NFL career is done. Mathis spent last season with the Arizona Cardinals.
#AZCardinals guard Evan Mathis said he's retiring "unless I can play defensive end."
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) January 2, 2017
Evan Mathis Retires
2016 was cut short by injury for Mathis. He suffered an ankle injury in week five against the San Francisco 49ers and was placed on injured reserve. He missed the week three game with a foot injury but was effective when playing.
Mathis has had an up and down career playing for five different teams in his career. He was drafted in Carolina in 2005 and played three seasons with the Panthers. Mathis was released and signed by the Miami Dolphins where he only played seven games before getting cut again.
He was then signed by the Cincinnati Bengals and played one game for them in 2008. Mathis won the starting left guard spot in 2009 and did not give up a sack in the two years he played there.
Mathis then went to the Philadelphia Eagles where he had the most individual success as a player. He played in Philadelphia for four seasons where he was rated by Pro Football Focus as the best guard in football for 2011, 2012, and 2013 and he was ranked the second-best in 2014. Voted to the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2014 as well as a unanimous First-Team All-Pro in 2013, Mathis was considered dominant.
That is why it was such a big surprise when the Eagles coach Chip Kelly cut Mathis. He then signed with the Denver Broncos where he played all 16 games and won a Super Bowl. Mathis is at the end of his career and has talked about retirement since the season ended.
