Evan Bradley Mathis (born November 1, 1981) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held April 23–24, 2005 NFL seaso ...

. Mathis has also played for the Miami Dolphins,

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos.

Early years

Mathis graduated from

Homewood High School Homewood High School (HHS) is a public high school, serving grades 9-12, in the Homewood, Alabama suburb of Birmingham. It is the only high school in the Homewood City School System. The principal is Joel Henneke. In the summer of 2007, the front ...

in Homewood, Alabama, where he played football and competed in track and wrestling. He was coached by Bob Newton in

. In wrestling, Mathis won the 2000 Alabama 6A heavyweight championship. In track & field, Mathis competed in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

event (top-throw of 15.24 meters).

College career

Although he bulked up from to after signing with Alabama in February 2000, Mathis was redshirted as a true freshman. In April 2001, he was named the Paul Crane Most Improved Offensive Lineman for Alabama along with tight end Theo Sanders. He competed with

Alonzo Ephraim Alonzo Brandon Ephraim (born November 8, 1981) is a former American football and arena football offensive lineman. He played college football at Alabama. Ephraim was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2003 ...

for the starting center job during spring practice in 2001, but lost out. Instead, he beat out Dante Ellington for the starting right tackle job, making his first start against South Carolina. Mathis started four seasons on the offensive line for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide. His first three years he played tackle, before shifting to left guard as a senior. He started 47 consecutive games beginning in the 4th game of his redshirt freshman year. He helped anchor an offensive line that paved the way for the Crimson Tide to lead the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards per game in 2004.

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Mathis was signed by the Miami Dolphins on September 9, 2008, after Donald Thomas, their rookie starting right guard spot was put on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. The Dolphins released him November 8 after playing seven games for them.

Cincinnati Bengals

Mathis played for the

from 2008 to 2010. He did not allow a sack during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles signed Mathis to a one-year contract on July 31, 2011. Immediately after the preseason, Mathis won the starting job at left guard for the 2011 season. He signed a five-year, $25.5 million contract with the Eagles on March 17, 2012. Pro Football Focus rated Mathis as the best guard in the NFL for the 2011, 2012, and 2013 season. In 2014, he was rated as the second best guard in the league despite missing seven games due to injury. Mathis was named to the USA Today All-Pro Team after the 2012 season. Ranked #6 overall in Pro Football Focus' Top 101 of 2012. In 2013, Pro Football Focus chose Mathis for its inaugural Bruce Matthews Award recognizing the NFL's best offensive lineman. He was voted First-team All-Pro in 2013 for his excellent performance with Philadelphia. Mathis was released by the team on June 11, 2015, after he held out of OTAs in search of a new contract.

Denver Broncos

On August 25, 2015, Mathis agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Denver Broncos. On February 7, 2016, Mathis won his first career

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

when the Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24–10 in Super Bowl 50.

Arizona Cardinals

Mathis signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

on March 16, 2016. He was placed on injured reserve on October 8, 2016, after suffering an ankle injury in Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers. Mathis announced his retirement via Twitter on January 20, 2017.

Personal life

Mathis's uncle is

Bob Baumhower Robert Glenn Baumhower (born August 4, 1955) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Alabama und ...

, who played

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for Alabama and the Miami Dolphins. Mathis and previous wife, TikTok star Katie Mathis, coparent 3 daughters. Mathis married Megan Mathis on 11/11/22. On April 19, 2018, Mathis sold a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card via Heritage Auctions for $2.88 million. At the time, it was the second-highest sale price for a

trading card A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other ...

ever, behind only the T206 Honus Wagner. Mathis finished 35th at the 2019 PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC). Mathis now runs a technology development company called mathisit (pronounced math is it).

References

External links

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Arizona Cardinals bioPhiladelphia Eagles bioCincinnati Bengals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathis, Evan 1981 births Living people People from Homewood, Alabama Players of American football from Jefferson County, Alabama Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards Alabama Crimson Tide football players Carolina Panthers players Miami Dolphins players Cincinnati Bengals players Philadelphia Eagles players Denver Broncos players Arizona Cardinals players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players