Philadelphia Eagles: Why didn’t the Eagles resign Jordan Matthews?

Fan favorite Jordan Matthews just signed a $1 million deal to join the New England Patriots, but why didn’t the Philadelphia Eagles have any interest?

Ex-Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews just got PAID.

But to be fair, paid is a relative term.

For the everyman, earning $1 million a year to do the job you love would be a dream come true, but for a wide receiver who was selected 42nd overall in the 2014 NFL Draft who hauled in 225 catches over his first three seasons in the league, it’s an incredibly team friendly deal.

And one that the Eagles should have jumped on.

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I mean sure, Jerry Rice‘s cousin had an incredibly down year in his lone, injury-plagued season in Buffalo, only catching only 25 balls for 282 yards, but during his first three seasons in the league, the former Vanderbilt Commodore was a solid presence over the middle, and established himself as a favorite of Carson Wentz both on and off the field.

Just look at how sad he was Matthews was traded to the Bills before the 2017 NFL season:

While it wouldn’t have been wise to invest heavily in Matthews on a long-term deal in the vein of fellow ex-Bill Sammy Watkins, the fact that he was willing to play on a bargain bin $1 million prove-it deal should have made his addition to the team incredibly promising.

Though it would have obviously had an effect on the team’s 2019 compensatory draft pick situation, adding a potential starting caliber receiver on a bargain bin deal would have felt a lot like the addition of Patrick Robinson last offseason, and could have had a similar impact down the stretch.

Now no one is going to argue that Matthews is a better receiver than recently signed burner Mike Wallace, but other than slotman Nelson Agholor and still injured Alshon Jeffery, the team has very little in the way of proven weapons with experience in Doug Pederson‘s scheme and if you ask me, that’s slightly concerning.

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With Wallace having a well-documented history of clashing with teammates, Agholar inching closer and closer to a big payday in free agency, and Jeffery a question mark to be available Week 1, bringing back a reliable, 25-year-old possession receiver could have served as a quality safety blanket should anything go wrong this preseason.

Sure, the team still has Mack Hollins, Shelton Gibson, and an opportunity to add even more firepower in the 2018 NFL Draft, but none of these options are any more guaranteed to succeed in a new scheme than Mathews would be in his second stint in midnight green.

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While only time will tell how the Eagles’ receiving core will perform in 2018, and if they can match, if not exceed their collective performance from last season, but purposely forgoing an opportunity to bring back one of Wentz’s favorite targets on a one-year, $1 million deal seems fairly short-sighted in the month of April.