The case for (and against) extending Jordan Matthews

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews is eligible for a contract extension. Is Matthews worth extending this early in his career?

The Philadelphia Eagles need help at the wide receiver position. This isn’t a hot take. Whether Jordan Matthews has “it” to be the primary wide receiver for the Eagles could be perceived as a hot take, however.

For three seasons the Eagles and their fans have had opportunities to make a determination about Matthews’ future. Unfortunately, three seasons still seems to be lacking the definitive proof of whether Matthews is a good player.

As a result, this is the conundrum that many of us struggle with when discussing Matthews. He’s the best of the bunch in Philadelphia, which doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. Recently, Geoff Mosher laid out the case for and against re-signing Matthews to a contract extension.

Over each of the last three seasons, Matthews has failed to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards. During that time, it has been accomplished 22 times by receivers that were in their first three professional seasons and had at least 100 targets. Of course, there are some familiar names on that list. Those names are likely going to command serious dollars when it comes to contract extensions.

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Since Matthews has been in the league, the Eagles have finished the season with the most, second most, and third most offensive plays from scrimmage, respectfully. Only once has Matthews led the team in receptions or receiving yards during that time period.

Simply put, Matthews is not the same caliber receiver as many of the others in the same draft class.

That doesn’t exclude him from being part of the future, however.

Contract extensions are General Manager Howie Roseman’s specialty. Roseman has the ability to finagle the salary cap in ways only a 12-year-old playing Madden career mode can. A player with Matthews’ upside makes this incredibly difficult decision a lot easier. The Eagles cannot afford to lose Matthews, regardless of what his perceived value will be. Neither can Carson Wentz.

Next: 10 Receivers The Eagles Could Draft This Year

According to Paul Domowitch, Wentz completed 21 of 67 passing attempts of 20 or more yards this season. Of those completions, only five were to someone not named Matthews or tight end Zach Ertz. Perhaps a bigger cabin will be needed in Fargo in order to establish better bonding.

Drops are going to continue to be a big hindrance to Matthews’ upside, but it’s a correctable mistake. While this might sound like a broken record, it bears repeating. Matthews has only played three seasons in the NFL. Sure, he’s about to enter the final year in his rookie contract, but it’s not urgent to extend his contract this offseason. Matthews is not in the same category as the top receivers from his draft class, so we also don’t need to worry about him getting “great player money” like Fletcher Cox, even if he has a career year in 2017.

The Eagles’ financial limitations next season likely will limit any possibility of Matthews getting a contract extension this offseason. After the inevitable roster cuts and contract restructuring however, the Eagles could (and should) find a way to get Matthews to stay on a team friendly deal. A slot receiver, and contract, that I look at is Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks. Through his first four seasons in the NFL, Baldwin never eclipsed 70 receptions, 850 yards or six touchdowns. It wasn’t until Russell Wilson‘s third season that Baldwin took a massive jump on the stat sheets. Given Wentz and Matthews’ relationship thus far, the Eagles might not have to wait that long to get their money’s worth.