Philadelphia Eagles (first stint) The
Philadelphia Eagles selected Matthews in the second round of the
2014 NFL draft with the 42nd overall pick. The Eagles traded up 12 spots in order to draft him. On May 27, 2014, he signed with the team for a four-year deal. He scored his first and second career touchdowns in a Week 3 matchup against the
Washington Redskins. In a
Monday Night Football matchup in Week 10, he caught 7 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns against the
Carolina Panthers. He finished the season with 67 catches for 872 yards and eight touchdowns. Matthews started his second year in the NFL with a game against the
Atlanta Falcons. He had 10 receptions for 102 yards in the 26–24 loss. On October 8, against the
Dallas Cowboys, Matthews had nine receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown. On December 20, against the
Arizona Cardinals, Matthews had eight receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown. On January 3, 2016, in the regular season finale against the
New York Giants, Matthews had his only multi-touchdown game of the season. In the 35–30 victory, he had seven receptions for 54 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, he had 85 receptions for 997 yards and eight touchdowns. With rookie quarterback
Carson Wentz, Matthews started his third year in the NFL with a game against the
Cleveland Browns. He had seven receptions for 114 yards and one touchdown in the 29–10 victory. The season opener would be Matthews' best game of the season as he would fail to break 100 receiving yards again on the season. Against the Cowboys on October 30, he had a season-high 11 receptions for 65 yards and one touchdown in the 29–23 loss. On the season, he had 73 receptions for a career-low 804 yards and a career-low three touchdowns.
Buffalo Bills On August 11, 2017, the Eagles traded Matthews, along with a 2018 third-round pick, to the
Buffalo Bills in exchange for cornerback
Ronald Darby. On September 10, Matthews made his debut as a member of the Bills. He had two receptions for 61 yards in the 21–12 victory over the
New York Jets. Matthews caught his first touchdown with the Bills during a 23–17 upset win over the defending
National Football Conference (NFC) Champions Falcons, but fractured his right thumb during the game. He was expected to be out for a month following surgery, but returned against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers three weeks after his injury. He was placed on
injured reserve on December 5, 2017, with a knee injury. He finished the 2017 season with career-lows with 25 receptions for 282 yards and one touchdown.
New England Patriots On April 5, 2018, Matthews signed a one-year contract with the
New England Patriots worth $1 million, with $300,000 guaranteed. However, on August 1, 2018, he was released by the Patriots with an injury settlement following a hamstring injury that he suffered three days prior during training camp.
Philadelphia Eagles (second stint) The Eagles re-signed Matthews on September 19, 2018, to help with an injury-depleted receiving corps. In Week 4, against the Tennessee Titans, he recorded a 56-yard receiving touchdown for his first touchdown in his return to Philadelphia. Matthews finished the season with 20 catches for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns, and had 1 catch for 37 yards and a touchdown in 2 playoff games.
San Francisco 49ers (first stint) On March 14, 2019, Matthews signed a one-year contract with the
San Francisco 49ers. He was released by the 49ers during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019. He was re-signed on October 3, 2019, but was released again on October 26.
Philadelphia Eagles (third stint) Matthews re-signed with the Eagles on November 11, 2019. He was waived on November 25, 2019.
San Francisco 49ers (second stint) On December 11, 2019, Matthews was signed by the 49ers. Although he did not play in the 49ers playoff run, the team appeared in
Super Bowl LIV but they lost 31–20 to the
Kansas City Chiefs. On November 27, 2020, Matthews was signed to the
practice squad of the 49ers'. He was released on December 8, and re-signed to the practice squad on December 23, 2020. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 11, 2021. Following the season, Matthews announced a position switch to
tight end after playing
wide receiver throughout his career up to that point. He put on 30 pounds as part of his new training. He re-signed with the 49ers on July 31, 2021. He was released on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 22. He was re-signed on October 5. He signed a reserve/future contract with the 49ers on February 2, 2022. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve by the 49ers on August 4, after suffering a
torn ACL in practice.
Carolina Panthers On October 25, 2023, Matthews was signed to the
Carolina Panthers practice squad. He was signed to the active roster on November 7, 2023. He was released on November 13 and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024. On August 27, 2024, Matthews was released by the Panthers and re-signed to the practice squad the next day, then promoted back to the active roster. He was released on September 17, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted back to the active roster on November 2. Matthews was released and re-signed to the practice squad on November 15. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 6, 2025. On May 8, 2025, Matthews was released by the Panthers. ==NFL career statistics==