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Should The Philadelphia Eagles Extend Jordan Matthews?

By Benjamin Solak

Dec 6, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews (81) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews (81) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Conclusion

So what’s the verdict?

The way I see it, extending him this very moment would be foolhardy. The Philadelphia Eagles

clearly intend on addressing the WR position with an influx of talent this offseason–both through the draft and free agency, I would expect. What level of talent they’re able to acquire and how that talent translates in Doug Pederson‘s offense will dictate the future of Jordan Matthews in midnight green.

If the Eagles are able to acquire a verifiable WR1 threat on the boundary through the draft (I’m not even going to conceal my shameless Corey Davis plug with a fake cough here), they’ll have money remaining at the position to potentially extend Matthews with good WR2 money. That’s a far less likely eventuality if they land a whale in FA (fake cough Alshon Jeffrey fake cough).

If they decided to bring in/draft a jitterbug at the slot position and permanently move Matthews to the outside, they get to play the waiting game. Matthews won’t be able to leverage only one year of good production on the boundary into a big contract anywhere but Philadelphia, so if he plays well, he’d probably receive a back-end WR1 deal here. If he struggles outside, there’s no longer a place for him in the slot, and he’ll walk.

In short, if the Eagles can’t get a real receiving threat in the building this year, Matthews will have the leverage necessary to demand WR1 money next year. The Eagles could elect to let him walk, but they’ll just end up paying it to someone else anyway. Should the Eagles draft a dynamic wideout, they’ll have capital to spend at the position, and may be able to negotiate Matthews down to a solid WR2 contract (think Eric Decker: $7.25M per year over 5 years, with $15M guaranteed). If he’s unwilling to go that low, he walks.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles Draft | Wide Receiver Positional Review

Given the uncertainty at the position, I doubt any extensions will be handed out this offseason (which is a shame, because Paul Turner’s price is going to keep getting steeper every passing year). Matthews is undoubtedly worth WR2 money, especially if he continues to develop with Carson Wentz. The question is, when the time comes, will the Philadelphia Eagles have the leverage necessary to get him to take it?

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