The Oakland Raiders have been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason with Terrelle Pryor, DeSean Jackson and Chris Johnson, but one name that hasn't come up that could be an option is Evan Mathis with the Philadelphia Eagles, as the team has put him on the trading block and now the Pro Bowl guard could get moved heading into the NFL draft and Reggie McKenzie may look for a deal to bring the offensive lineman to the west coast.
The Raiders have made a point to upgrade the offensive line after some struggles and injuries last season and McKenzie is hoping that an improved OL will help boost the rushing game as well. The team lost Rashad Jennings to the NY Giants this offseason and while they signed Maurice Jones-Drew and also brought back Darren McFadden, the rushing attack still needs some depth and at least fixing up the offensive line should make things more productive. According to ESPN.com, the Miami Dolphins and the Raiders could be options for Mathis, as the Eagles have put him on the trade block in the middle of the offseason after he asked for a pay raise.
The report from 973 ESPN in Philly writes that the Eagles are looking to trade Mathis despite signing him to a five-year, $25 million contract a few years ago, as he is getting up there in age and is also looking for a pay increase. According to ESPN.com, Mathis is set to make $5 million this season and after being a Pro Bowl player and seeing the team give new contracts to fellow linemen Jason Peters and Jason Kelce, he wanted a pay raise as well, but just like DeSean Jackson, he appears to be on his way out. The money is an issue and another reason the Eagles are shopping him is in part due to his age, as he is 32 years old at the guard position and Chip Kelly likely wants to get younger and may look to that position heading into the NFL draft this May.
The Raiders have made some moves on the offensive line by bringing in Austin Howard from the Jets and also signing Donald Penn and Kevin Boothe, but they also just released veteran right guard Mike Brisiel and that could open up a spot for Mathis. The team has some questions on the line, but they re-signed Khalif Barnes to shore things up after losing Jared Veldheer and they also have Menelik Watson, Tony Bergstrom, Matt McCants and Stefen Wisniewski and adding someone like Mathis could make for one of the deepest lines in the league. Mathis is a very good player and he was rated the number one guard in 2012 by Pro Football Focus and with the Raiders still in the double digits in cap space, they could make the move.
The Raiders have Terrelle Pryor in their back pocket and he has asked to be traded or released and while the Eagles are not an option after signing Mark Sanchez, the team could look to deal him along with the Mathis move. The Raiders have just six draft picks after losing one in the Schaub trade and one last year with Matt Flynn and this could be a way to get one back for the 2014 draft.
