The Eagles have been the league’s most active team this week, locking up two offensive linemen, Jason Peters and Jason Kelce, to lucrative long-term extensions, and re-signing prospective free agent agent receiver Riley Cooper. However, the team still isn’t done. According to several reports, Philadelphia would like to get something done with free-agent-to-be Jeremy Maclin before he hits the open market on March 11. Here’s the latest on negotiations between the two sides, with the newest updates up top:
- A source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Maclin hopes to sign a one-year, make-good contract, while the Eagles prefer a multiyear deal. Presumably, the club is looking to buy low on Maclin’s upside, while the receiver would rather bet on himself in the hopes of landing a bigger deal a year from now.
Earlier updates:
- A league source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com that Maclin and the Eagles are “talking and making progress” toward a new contract, but no deal is imminent, and the wide receiver could still decide to test the market in March. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter also hears that the two sides are having conversations but aren’t close to an agreement yet (Twitter link).
- Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer says (via Twitter) there are still hurdles to clear in the discussions between Maclin and the club, but that a deal “should happen” within the next week or two.
- There’s a “lot of optimism” that an agreement will be reached, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that the Eagles and Maclin are hoping for major progress in the next day or two.
- If the Eagles don’t lock up Maclin by March 11, he figures to draw interest from at least four to six teams, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
I feel like New England would be all over Maclin if he hit free agency.
Agreed. Seems like he would be a good fit, even though the landscape right now is cluttered with what ifs as the cuts haven’t really even started to hit. In addition, we need to see some more restructuring out of NE in order to make these types of moves.
I couldn’t agree more. What helps them tremendously is the cap number looking like it’ll be around 135M. I expect Wilfork and Mankins to be extended to lower those cap hits, and I expect them to cut Connoly, Sopagia (probably spelled that wrong), and possibly a few more players. Overall, I think they will have a decent amount of money to work with, and I feel they will surprise people this year. I can’t see Maclin wanting more than a one year deal to show everyone what he’s got, but even if he wants more I think he may be well worth it. ACL repairs aren’t as serious as they once were. Can’t wait for this offseason to begin!!!