He played college football at Vanderbilt and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.

Matthews started his NFL career as a wide receiver before switching positions after the 2020 season.

[1] For his high school football career at Madison Academy, Matthews had 181 receptions, 3,218 receiving yards, and 38 touchdowns.

[3][4] Auburn began recruiting Matthews during his junior year of high school when Phillip Lolley, the director of Football External Operations at the time, called the Matthewses.

[1] Matthews received a scholarship offer from Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson on Christmas Eve in 2009 after wide receiver prospect and eventual Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby de-committed from Vanderbilt.

[7] As a junior in 2012, Matthews was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection and was named third-team All-American by Phil Steele and CBS SportsLine.com.

[13][14] Matthews also was a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award and won the 2013 CFPA Elite Wide Receiver Trophy.

[7] In his final college game, he was the MVP of the 2014 BBVA Compass Bowl after recording five receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

[19] For his collegiate career, Matthews had 262 receptions for 3,759 yards,[20] both marks serving as both SEC and school records.

In a Monday Night Football matchup in Week 10, he caught 7 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers.

[31] With rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, Matthews started his third year in the NFL with a game against the Cleveland Browns.

[34] 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.

[36] 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.

[40] On April 5, 2018, Matthews signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots worth $1 million, with $300,000 guaranteed.

[53] 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.

[58] Following the season, Matthews announced a position switch to tight end after playing wide receiver throughout his career up to that point.

[70] 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.

[76] Matthews is married to Chicago Red Stars soccer player Cheyna Williams, who also attended Vanderbilt before graduating from Florida State University.

The proceeds from the event benefited YWCA and AMEND Together, two organizations that fight domestic violence.

The event included a home run derby and a softball game with teams composed of former Vanderbilt athletes.