After 15 months of contract tension, the are cutting ties with veteran guard .The announced on Friday that they had released the two-time selection.Seeking a NFL Buffalo Bills Jersey new contract, Mathis was first back in March of 2014. The shopped him around the league again , leading up to the 2015 .Although Mathis has graded out as Pro Football Focus' No. 1 guard over the past three seasons, coach Chip Kelly revealed in early May that the eminently available 11-year veteran from other teams."We have so there's nothing to take," Kelly explained. "Evan's been available to trade for two years now and we've never had an offer for him. And that's through their agent and him. They've asked us if he can renegotiate a contract and see what he can get and we've obliged him with that, but we've never had an offer on him."The recently that would have increased Mathis' base salary from $5.5 million to $6.5 million, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported early this week.Connecting the dots, that would appear to have been the impetus behind Mathis' release.The leading in-house candidate to replace Mathis is , who filled in when the starter was sidelined with a knee injury last season.Mathis will now test his value on the open market, an opportunity he has sought for over a year now.Even at the relatively advanced football age of 33, Mathis shouldn't lack for suitors. He was an excellent fit in the ' scheme that uses extensive zone blocking, but won't be viewed as a mauler by teams that run a power ground attack.The , , , and are among the teams that match up with Mathis' skill set.It will be interesting to see if Mathis lands a contract richer than the one Kelly was offering to stay in Philadelphia.The latest Podcast and Conor Orr calls in for the debut of the new segment, "Orr you kidding me?" Find more content on . Jaquan Johnson Jersey