The San Francisco 49ers' newest wide receiver, Jordan Matthews, spoke with team reporter Keiana Martin this past week and shared what influenced his decision to sign on with the Bay Area squad. A big factor was the presence of offensive quality control coach Miles Austin. The two briefly spent time as teammates with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, which was Matthews' second season in the NFL and Austin's last as a player.
You can tell Austin had a significant influence on Matthews during their eight months together.
"What's crazy is that I was in my second year in the league when Miles came to Philly," Matthews told Martin. "He was already kind of in that role of player/coach, so I was already learning from him. He was teaching me tons of stuff about releases. He was probably one of the best guys I've seen off the line. He was already a guy that I was learning from, a guy I looked at as a mentor.
"When he came out here and he told me the 49ers might be interested, he was one of the main selling points for me to want to come out here. I'm just excited to actually get in the film room with [Austin and wide receivers coach Wes Welker] and start chopping everything up."
While Austin's presence on the coaching staff was a big reason for Matthews' decision to join the 49ers, it wasn't the only one. Several players have mentioned the atmosphere and energy in the building when visiting with the team. Matthews noticed that as well.
"There's obviously an electric culture in here right now," he said. "Everybody's excited about what Coach Shanahan is building. Obviously, a great quarterback in Jimmy (Garoppolo). I mean, why wouldn't a receiver want to play here? They're putting guys in space. I think it's going to be a fun year, and I'm just ready to get to work with the guys, honestly."
The 49ers signed Matthews to a one-year deal on March 14. He joins a receiver group that includes second-year player Dante Pettis, veteran Marquise Goodwin, and others like Trent Taylor and Kendrick Bourne.