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Eagles

Chip Kelly said Eagles released Evan Mathis to comply with Mathis' request

    by Zach Berman
    Published 

Chip Kelly said the Eagles released Evan Mathis last week because Mathis had asked for a release, the team did not get any trade offers for him, and they were not planning on adjusting Mathis' contract.

"We were asked by his agent for a release on multiple occasions," Kelly said. "We weren't coming to a conclusion in terms of a contract extension – we weren't going to extend any contract or adjust any contract, so we granted what his agent asked for."

When asked why they didn't just have Mathis honor the contract, Kelly said the conversation "had gone on for a loong time."

"It wasn't addressed to us that that wasn't going to happen," Kelly said. "…They obviously wanted a new contract, we weren't going to give him one."

Kelly said the timing of the release was because he wanted to see if Mathis could catch on with another team, and that the Eagles moved on and Mathis had moved on.

Mathis even tried reaching out to Kelly directly to find a solution, he told McLane.

"We discussed everything," Kelly said. "If he didn't want to be here, I want everyone to get what they're going to get, I hope it works. ...He was great for us in the two years we had him. I like Evan a lot. If he wants to get a release…then we'll release him."

More to come after practice...