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For the Eagles, it’s Chip’s Way Or The Highway

Players who butt heads with Chip Kelly shouldn’t expect to stay in Philly for long

Alex Hickey

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The Philadelphia Eagles are so covered in Chip Kelly’s fingerprints that it’s a wonder the team hasn’t turned its color scheme back to kelly green just to remind you who’s boss. (Note: They should still change the color scheme back to kelly green because it would look awesome.)

The latest example of someone going Kelly’s way or the highway took place when former All-Pro guard Evan Mathis was given his walking papers. Mathis had been asking for a trade or new deal throughout Kelly’s two-year tenure, so it was hardly a surprise ending. Even so, Mathis expressed surprise at the move since he was planning on attending this week’s team minicamp.

“It’s not my choice that I was cut the way I was,” Mathis told CSN Philly.

Kelly’s response to Mathis? Quite literally, you asked for it.

“We were asked by his agent for a release on multiple occasions, so we weren’t going to come to a conclusion in terms of a contract extension,” Kelly said. “We weren’t going to extend any contract or adjust any contract, so we granted him what his agent asked for.”

Mathis insisted that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, requested that any release take place in March so he could sign a more lucrative free agent deal with another team. Instead, Kelly waited until now. His explanation on why didn’t exactly clear things up.

“(We released him now) because we weren’t coming to a conclusion in terms of him being here,” Kelly said.

Kelly was adamant there was no spite on his end, saying that the way Mathis’ situation was handled isn’t going to be a precedent for other players.

“We deal with each contract on an individual basis,” Kelly said.

But will anyone butting heads with Chip Kelly actually get what they want in those scenarios? He made the ultimate power play this offseason, wresting control of player personnel from former general manager and current “vice president of football operations” Howie Roseman.

The shakeup since then has been constant, from releasing mainstays like guard Todd Herremans, cornerback Cary Williams and linebacker Trent Cole to trading Shady McCoy for Kiko Alonso and swapping Nick Foles for Sam Bradford.

For now, Philadelphia is committed to the NFL’s grandest experiment since San Francisco ushered in a new way of thinking under Bill Walsh. And that means if you butt heads with Kelly, as Mathis did and others might, Chip will be the last one standing.

Alex Hickey can vividly recall most significant NFL events going back to Walter Payton's final game in 1987, including the ones that didn't make him cry. Since 2008, his full-time job has been covering college football, specifically McNeese State, for the Lake Charles (La.) American Press. Free time is spent informing, amusing or annoying you for Football Insiders.

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