On Friday, the Eagles announced that Jeremy Maclin has been signed to a new one-year contract. Take a look back at some of the most memorable moments that the wide receiver has had in Eagles green ...
The Kansas City Chiefs made a stunning announcement on Friday evening that they released wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who was a first-round pick of the Eagles in 2009 and spent the first six years of his career in midnight green.
Maclin signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in 2015 to reunite with Andy Reid in Kansas City and return to his home state of Missouri. The Eagles wanted to bring Maclin back as he was coming off of his first Pro Bowl season and one of the best ever by an Eagles receiver - 85 catches, 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. The catch total ranks tied for fourth in a single season in franchise history, and the yards are the third most.
The Chiefs were penalized for tampering with Maclin during the negotiation process and Kansas City forfeited a third-round pick in 2016 and a seventh-round draft choice this past year.
Maclin went over 1,000 yards for the second year in a row in 2015, catching 87 passes for 1,088 yards and scoring eight touchdowns. Head coach Doug Pederson was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City for that campaign, and was also an assistant with the Eagles while Maclin was in Philadelphia.
This past year, Maclin was limited due to injury, but still accounted for 44 catches, 536 yards, and two touchdowns - all career lows. He previously missed the entire 2014 season with a torn ACL. Still, the 29-year-old by media accounts looked good in the Chiefs' Organized Team Activities.
Now that Maclin is a free agent, should the Eagles entertain a reunion? The wide receiver position was one of the most overhauled on the roster this offseason with Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith signed in free agency, and Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson added in the draft.
That alone shouldn't preclude the Eagles from adding a playmaker who was a model citizen during his time with the team, and has thrived in the current offensive scheme.
The other question, and potentially bigger obstacle, is money.
Maclin was in the second year of a five-year, $55 million contract. The move opens up a reported $10 million in cap space for the Chiefs. The Eagles don't have a ton of cap space. According to the NFLPA's public salary cap report, the Eagles have just a shade under $5.2 million of cap space. OverTheCap.com has the Eagles at $3.7 million under the cap. Hey, the Eagles play the Chiefs in Week 2 of this upcoming season.
Howie Roseman and director of football administration Jake Rosenberg can certainly get creative if they want to, but how much of a market will Maclin have so late in the offseason?
