NFL Suspends Bills DT Phidarian Mathis

Mathis violated the league’s substance abuse policy, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN reports. A source told Getzenberg that Mathis’ suspension stems from an alcohol-related incident that occurred in the spring of 2025. Mathis was a member of the Jets then, but they waived him that August.

As a former standout at Alabama, where he racked up 53 tackles, 12 TFL and nine sacks as a senior in 2021, Mathis entered the league as a promising prospect. The Commanders took Mathis 47th overall in the 2022 draft, but that proved to be a misfire for the Ron Rivera–Martin Mayhew regime. Mathis never made a start in Washington, where meniscus and calf injuries helped limit him to just 23 games and 25 tackles over parts of three seasons.

The Commanders gave up on Mathis when they cut him in December 2024, though four teams were intrigued enough in the former second-rounder to put in waiver claims. The Jets, who had the highest waiver priority, came out on top. The move amounted to nothing for the Jets, however, as Mathis never appeared in a game with them.

Last September, two weeks after the Jets let Mathis go, the 6-foot-4, 312-pounder joined the Bills’ practice squad. He wound up getting into six games, playing 120 defensive snaps and making 13 tackles.

The Bills kept Mathis around on a one-year, $1.2MM deal in the offseason, giving him a chance to compete for a roster spot this summer. Mathis’ suspension won’t do him any favors in his bid to make the team, but it could improve fellow D-lineman DeWayne Carter’s chances. Carter, a 2024 third-rounder, is on the bubble after missing all of last season with a torn Achilles.