Wednesday marked the 25th anniversary of the Internet. The Eagles also agreed to terms with former Seattle safety Chris Maragos on a three-year deal. If it wasn't for the Internet and social media, Maragos' football career might never have taken off.
"This is a great situation," said Maragos, who chose the Eagles over a handful of other teams including Washington. "It was such an attractive fit for me. I'm excited to be here and be a part of this great organization."
After two years as a walk-on wide receiver at Western Michigan, Maragos sent a message through Facebook to Luke Swan, Wisconsin's leading wide receiver at the time who was also a walk on. Maragos simply asked Swan to show head coach Bret Bielema his tape.
Maragos earned an invite to the Badgers' Training Camp. He was converted to safety, won a roster spot and eventually elevated to a scholarship athlete his fifth season when he was a team captain. After being named All-Big Ten honorable mention as a senior, Maragos had to start from the bottom again as he was signed by the 49ers as a rookie free agent in 2010.
He bounced back and forth between the active roster and the practice squad as a rookie playing in three games. In 2011, he joined the 49ers' NFC West rivals, the Seahawks, and found a niche on special teams. He's played in all 32 regular season and five playoff games - including this past season's Super Bowl win - over the past two seasons recording 21 special teams tackles during that span.
"I think it takes a unique person. ... You have to have a person who can make decisions quick, read things really fast and be athletic but have a lot of grit to them," Maragos said. "I really think special teams encompasses a lot about what a football player is."
Maragos understands and appreciates his role, but he's not resting on his laurels as a special teams player. He's played behind All-Pro safeties Dashon Goldson and Earl Thomas in his career and has only notched seven career tackles on defense. Maragos has his eye on earning playing time on defense.
"No matter who it is, we're going to push whomever it is for any position to come in and help the team win," he said.
