Kevin James Matthews (born February 4, 1987) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

who played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

and the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

. He played college football at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

Early years

Matthews attended Elkins High School, where he received All-District honors in his last two years. He was named to the 2005 All-Greater Houston football team. He also practiced the shot put. He accepted a scholarship from

, becoming a starter at center as a junior. He finished his college career with 34 games and 25 straight starts.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans (first stint)

Matthews was signed by the

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

following the 2010 NFL Draft on April 30. He was waived during final cuts on September 4, but was re-signed to the team's practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on December 15, after center

Eugene Amano Eugene Philip Amano (born March 1, 1982) is a former American football offensive lineman. Playing for the Tennessee Titans from 2004 to 2013 as both a center and guard, he replaced eight-time All-Pro selection Kevin Mawae as starting center in 2 ...

was placed on the

injured reserve list 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 ...

due to a neck injury and started the last game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts. The next year, 2011, he was declared inactive for 15 games. In 2013, he appeared in 14 games (2 starts), before being lost for the year with a high ankle sprain injury, suffered in the week 15 game against the New York Jets.

Washington Redskins

On May 7, 2013, Matthews signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

. He did not make the final roster and was cut on the last day of training camp on August 30.

Tennessee Titans (second stint)

On November 12, 2013, Matthews was re-signed by the

. Throughout November and December, he was waived and re-signed on two occasions.

Carolina Panthers

On July 23, 2014, he was signed by the

. On August 26, he was placed on the

with a right shoulder injury, that he suffered during a preseason practice.

Personal life

Kevin's father, Bruce Matthews, is a Hall of Fame offensive lineman who played for the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans from

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

– 2001. Kevin's uncle, Clay Matthews, Jr., is a former four-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

linebacker who played for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

and Atlanta Falcons from 1978– 1996. Kevin's grandfather, Clay Matthews, Sr., is a former offensive tackle and linebacker who played for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

for four seasons during the 1950s. Kevin's younger brother, Jake Matthews, is an offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons. Kevin's cousins,

Clay Matthews III William Clay Matthews III (born May 14, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). The six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro played primarily with the ...

was a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, and Casey Matthews, was a linebacker in the

. Kevin also has a younger brother Mike, who is a

that was signed as an

by the

.Browns sign Texas A&M center Mike Matthews
/ref>

References

External links

Tennessee Titans bio

Carolina Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Kevin 1987 births Living people Players of American football from Texas American football centers Texas A&M Aggies football players Tennessee Titans players Washington Redskins players Carolina Panthers players Matthews football family