Jordan Matthews‘ time with the Buffalo Bills was invariably brief.
The 25-year-old wide receiver signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Patriots are signing former Bills’ WR Jordan Matthews to a one-year deal, per source. Healthy now, so could be a real factor.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 6, 2018
New England Patriots Sign Jordan Matthews
Matthews originally came to the Bills via a preseason trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. The eventual Super Bowl champions sent him to Buffalo along with a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft in exchange for cornerback Ronald Darby.
His lone season in Buffalo saw him struggle to make an impact. Matthews made 10 appearances and seven starts, managing 282 receiving yards which ranked sixth on the team and caught just a single touchdown pass. He ended up missing a game in October after injuring his thumb in a win over the Atlanta Falcons. And after suffering a knee injury in Week 13 against the New England Patriots, the team placed him on season-ending injured reserve.
Matthews’ best efforts of the season from a yardage standpoint came in the season opener against the New York Jets and two weeks later against the Denver Broncos. In both games, he finished with 61 yards receiving. His lone touchdown grab came in the second quarter of the Falcons game and put the Bills up 7-3 in a game they eventually won 23-17.
Prior to his stint with the Bills, Matthews had three rather prolific seasons with the Eagles. He averaged 891 yards per season in that span and finished with 19 touchdown receptions. It included a career-high 997 yards in 2015 and eight touchdowns apiece both that year and as a rookie in 2014. His touchdown haul during his maiden year in the league ranked third among rookies, trailing only Kelvin Benjamin and Odell Beckham.
The Eagles drafted Matthews in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. He arrived in Philly after an impressive collegiate career with the Vanderbilt Commodores. Matthews eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark both as a junior and a senior and finished top ten nationally both years. And his 3,759 career receiving yards and 24 touchdown grabs both rank first all-time in school history.
