The Philadelphia Eagles today announced they have agreed to terms with wide receiver Jeremy Maclin on a one-year contract.
"Jeremy is an ideal player for our scheme with his combination of size, speed, strength and route-running ability, in addition to his dynamic playmaking talent," said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. "We're happy to see him rehabbing well and to get him under contract for the 2014 season."
"I'm excited to see Jeremy play in our offense," said Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. "You saw the potential of that in the spring and summer but obviously he didn't get an opportunity last year. However, what was great to see was how he was literally here every single day since being injured. You can see he has a passion for the game of football. When he was on the field last spring and summer, you saw his intelligence, you saw his great route-running ability and you saw how tough of a one-on-one match-up he could be."
Regarded as one of the toughest and most resilient players in the Eagles locker room, Maclin (6-0, 198) missed the entirety of the 2013 season with a torn ACL suffered during training camp. In 2012, Maclin led the Eagles with 69 receptions, 857 yards receiving and seven touchdowns through the air and became just the eighth receiver in NFL history to record at least 55 catches and 750 yards in each of his first four seasons in the league.
A steadying force in the Eagles passing game, Maclin ranked among Eagles receiving greats through the first four years of his career, leading the franchise in receptions (258), while ranking third in yardage (3,453) and fifth in touchdowns (26). He enjoyed his best season in 2010, as he notched career-highs in catches (70), receiving yardage (964) and touchdowns (10).
Selected by the Eagles in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Maclin burst onto the scene in his rookie campaign, hauling in 56 catches for 773 yards and four touchdowns, while setting a franchise record with 146 receiving yards in the team's NFC Wild Card game at Dallas (1/9/10). He also became the first Eagles rookie to ever post two touchdown receptions of 40-plus yards in the same game, recording scoring grabs of 51 and 40 yards vs. TB (10/11/09).
In addition to his success on the gridiron, Maclin is very community-minded and provides assistance to youth and families forced into alternative living situations through the Jeremy Maclin Foundation. Maclin, who endured a difficult childhood and was primarily raised in an alternative living situation, strives to help families move in a positive direction while encouraging youth from these situations to use academics and their talents to overcome obstacles. Maclin also has donated time, money and equipment to youth football leagues in West Deptford, NJ, and in his hometown of Kirkwood, MO, and holds annual football camps in both locations.
A two-time first-team All-American at the University of Missouri, Maclin scored a school record 33 touchdowns in 28 games and was the first player in school history to score a touchdown via reception, rush, punt return and kickoff return. He started all 14 games as a sophomore and led the nation with a school single-season record 2,833 all-purpose yards, which ranked as the fifth-highest single-season total in NCAA history.
