Jeremy Maclin - Pro Football Rumors

Eagles Express Interest In Jeremy Maclin

June 6th, 2017 at 11:03am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have expressed some level of interest in free agent Jeremy Maclin, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. A deal, of course, would mark a homecoming for the wide receiver.

Maclin spent the first five years of his career in Philadelphia before he departed for Kansas City in 2015. Maclin did his best work with the Eagles in 2014 having caught 86 passes for 1,318 yards and ten touchdowns. He set a new career high in catches in 2015 when he hauled in 87 passes, but he has not replicated that kind of yardage total in the last two seasons with KC. His 15.5 yards per grab in 2014 also stand as a career high.

In addition to the Eagles, the Browns have also shown interest in Maclin, Schefter says. The Browns already made one major upgrade to the receiver group this spring with the Kenny Britt signing, but adding Maclin would give them a formidable 1-2 combo. The Browns are also expecting offensive production from rookie David Njoku, but no pass catcher in Cleveland offers Maclin’s combination of experience and skill.

While the Browns are flush with cap room, the same cannot be said for the Eagles. The Eagles have roughly $5MM in space to work with and they might have to find additional room if they hope to reunite with the 29-year-old.

We now have four known teams interested in Maclin. Maclin is visiting with the Bills today before potentially meeting with the Ravens on Wednesday.

Bills To Meet With Jeremy Maclin

June 6th, 2017 at 9:23am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin are set to meet today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). After that, Maclin’s next stop could be with the Ravens on Wednesday.

LeSean McCoy has made no secret of the fact that he wants Maclin in Buffalo and he started recruiting the receiver hard after he was released by the Chiefs. Maclin could help to keep defenders away from star Sammy Watkins and also step up in the event that he is injured again in 2017. The Bills’ depth chart also includes second-round pick Zay Jones, Rod Streater, Andre Holmes, and Corey Brown.

The Chiefs cut Maclin when they couldn’t find another team willing to take on his 2017 base salary of $9.75MM. He’ll likely sign for less with another club, but he should still command a decent salary given the impact that he can potentially have elsewhere. Maclin turned in a decent season in 2016, hauling in 87 catches for 1,000+ and eight touchdowns.

NFC Notes: Morris, Packers, Lions, Bradberry

June 5th, 2017 at 3:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Alfred Morris only played 112 snaps during his first season with the Cowboys, and Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com writes that the veteran running back’s future with the organization “remains murky.”

According to the writer, the Cowboys believe Morris has more success when he has more carries, but that isn’t a possibility in Dallas. Ezekiel Elliott should see even more responsibility in his second NFL season, and the team also re-signed veteran Darren McFadden this offseason.

Despite the uncertainty, running backs coach Gary Brown said the 28-year-old continues to keep his head high.

“Straight pro,” he said. “Doesn’t talk about it. Doesn’t mention it. Comes out has fun with it. Enjoys being around his teammates. That’s the kind of guys you need.”

As Williams points out, Morris is set to make $1.2MM next season and count for $2.14MM against the cap. While that would seemingly make him expendable, Brown said he’d love to keep all of his players.

“You just don’t know from year to year what’s going to happen, so you try to keep as many great players around as you can and then the business takes over after that,” Brown said. “Obviously, we would like everybody to stay, but that’s not realistic. We’ve got to make sure we’re training everybody, and we’re covering all our bases, and let whatever happens happen.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NFC…

Packers running back Jamaal Williams‘ four-year rookie contract includes a $565,992 signing bonus, and ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky notes that that’s the only guaranteed money in the deal. The fourth-rounder’s contract could be worth up to $2.96MM, and Williams is set to earn a base salary of $465K in 2017.
If he isn’t looking for a lucrative contract, then ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein believes free agent wideout Jeremy Maclin would be a logical fit for the Lions. The hypothetical acquisition would allow the team to roll a versatile three-wideout set that could include any combination of Marvin Jones, Golden Tate, and/or tight end Eric Ebron. Rothstein also points to the relative experience among the team’s other wide receivers.
Panthers cornerback James Bradberry fractured his left wrist today and will be in a cast for the next six weeks, reports Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion told Max Henson of Panthers.com that the defensive back could still participate in next week’s minicamp, and he’s expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp. The 2016 second-round pick started 13 games for the Panthers last season, compiling 59 tackles and two interceptions.
Former Minnesota Gophers linebacker Jack Lynn is “close” to signing with the Falcons, reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (via Twitter). The four-year player finished his collegiate career with 77 tackles and 0.5 sacks in 13 games.

AFC Notes: Jets, Chargers, Ivory, Maclin

June 5th, 2017 at 11:02am CST by Zachary Links

A video emerged on Twitter this weekend allegedly showing Jets linebacker Darron Lee in an apparent altercation with a woman at the Governors Ball Music Festival on Randall’s Island. The video shows a man shouting at a woman, and the Twitter user claimed the individual proceeded to “manhandle her’’ and “call her names.’’

Jets defensive end Leonard Williams can also be seen in the video physically restraining his teammate, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Williams’ Instagram account showed that quarterback Bryce Petty was also at the festival.

“We are aware of the reports,” a Jets spokesman said (via Schwartz). “We are taking them seriously, and we are looking into the specifics of the situation. We will have no further comment at this time.”

Lee, a 2016 first-round pick, appeared in 13 games (nine starts) with the Jets last season, compiling 73 tackles and one sack.

Let’s take a look at other notes from around the AFC…

Danny Woodhead signed with the Ravens this offseason, so ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams took a look at current Chargers who could replace the departed running back’s production. The writer points to Branden Oliver and Kenjon Barner as players who could serve as the pass-catching back behind starter Melvin Gordon.
We learned yesterday that running back LeSean McCoy was recruiting former teammate Jeremy Maclin to join the Bills. Now it looks like quarterback Tyrod Taylor is also looking to touch base with the free agent receiver. “Today was the first day I seen Shady,” Taylor told Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. “We texted about it, but [I] want to get Maclin’s number and try to reach out to him. Just to see what his thoughts, what is he thinking moving forward and try to get him here.”
After a season that saw him compile only 439 rushing yards, Jaguars running back Chris Ivory wants to prove that he’s still capable of starting in the NFL. Unfortunately, despite his experience, the veteran has fourth-overall pick Leonard Fournette breathing down his neck. While the odds seem to be against the 29-year-old, he’s still confident that his 2016 woes are a thing of the past. “One thing about it, people and everybody are going to have their opinions,’’ Ivory told John Reid of the Florida Times-Union. “Mainly, the people that know nothing about football. They don’t know the things we go through to get to this point. What we actually face before we come out for those games…Most of the stuff the people on the outside see are the mistakes and the bad things you do. It’s not always going to go the way you want. I think a lot of people that like to see guys get a 1,000 yards each year, but it just don’t work that way.’’

LeSean McCoy Recruiting Jeremy Maclin

June 4th, 2017 at 3:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin were teammates with the Eagles from 2009-14, and McCoy would like to reunite with the newly free agent wide receiver. McCoy is recruiting Maclin to sign with the Bills, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.

“I know he could help us out tremendously,” McCoy said. “I’ve been doing my recruiting already, and don’t be surprised if it happens. That would be cool to have another weapon on the offense. But you never know. A lot of things would have to work out for that to happen. You know how the business goes.”

While McCoy was clear that he has no inside information on Buffalo’s plans, a Maclin addition would make sense for the club. Sammy Watkins is the Bills’ No. 1 wideout, but he’s had problems staying healthy, and second-round pick Zay Jones will be making the transition from East Carolina to the NFL. Other wide receivers on Buffalo’s depth chart include Rod Streater, Andre Holmes, and Corey Brown, so the team could certainly use a veteran presence like Maclin.

McCoy isn’t the only Bills offensive player who plans to speak with Maclin, as quarterback Tyrod Taylor told Rodak he’ll reach out to the former Chiefs wide receiver and lobby Buffalo coaches about Maclin. “Would love to have a guy like him on our team competing and coming out and making plays for us,” Taylor said. “Especially means a lot to our wide receiver room, putting another veteran guy with a whole bunch of talent and still potential left to reach his best. I would love to have him.”

Reaction To Jeremy Maclin’s Release

June 3rd, 2017 at 9:09am CST by Ben Levine

The Chiefs surprised the NFL when they released veteran wideout Jeremy Maclin last night. Coach Andy Reid, who worked with the receiver in both Kansas City and Philadelphia, acknowledged that it wasn’t an easy move to make.

“These decisions are never easy, especially with a player like Jeremy who I’ve grown close with on and off the football field over the years,” Reid said (via Terez A. Paylor of KansasCity.com). “I have a lot of respect for the way he goes about his business and how he handles himself as a professional. I wish him the best of luck moving forward.”

Maclin finished his Kansas City tenure with 27 games played between two NFL seasons. The wideout hauled in 131 total catches for 1,624 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Let’s check out some more reactions from around the league…

We took a look at the cap implications for 2017, but Paylor explores how the release impacts the Chiefs in the future. The team will be stuck with $4.8MM in dead money in 2018, although the release still results in $8.6MM in total savings.
Paylor notes that with the move, the organization should now have more than enough money to sign all of their draft picks. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes II, defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon and running back Kareem Hunt all remain unsigned.
The Chiefs took a considerable risk by waiting until yesterday to release Maclin, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Thanks to the post-June 1st designation, there was financial incentive to waiting. However, the team allowed Maclin to participate in five OTA sessions, and they would have been on the hook for $10MM had Maclin suffered a season-ending injury during that time.
Should the Eagles pursue a reunion with Maclin? Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com is under the impression that they should. The organization did add Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith this offseason, but the writer believes the offense could still use some reinforcement. The Eagles don’t have a whole lot of cap room at the moment, so Shorr-Parks wonders whether Maclin would be willing to take a discount to return to Philadelphia.
The Ravens are a “perfect landing spot” for Maclin, writes ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley. Joe Flacco could certainly use another target, especially following the injury to pass-catching tight end Dennis Pitta. Similar to the Eagles, Baltimore doesn’t have much cap space, so they wouldn’t be able to engage in a bidding war for the receiver. However, if Maclin is looking to slot atop the depth chart for a potential contender, then the Ravens should be considered.

Chiefs Tried To Trade Jeremy Maclin

June 2nd, 2017 at 9:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chiefs “dabbled” in trade negotiations to evaluate interest in wide receiver Jeremy Maclin before releasing him, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).

That Kansas City wasn’t able to find any takers is rather unsurprising, as any club that acquired Maclin would have been responsible for his 2017 base salary of $9.75MM. While that figure isn’t guaranteed, it wouldn’t have made sense for another team to give up assets for Maclin unless it was prepared to pay his salary. With Maclin now a free agent, any club with interest can now add Maclin without sacrificing draft capital (and perhaps at a cheaper salary).

The Chiefs didn’t ask Maclin to accept a paycut before cutting him, reports Garafolo. Additionally, it’s unclear why Kansas City didn’t release Maclin near the start of the new league year in March. Given that the Chiefs could have designated him as a post-June 1 cut, the financial ramifications would have been the same. Such a move would have allowed Maclin to hit the free agent market much earlier, however.

Maclin will receive a prorated portion of the $250K workout bonus he was due, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com.

Chiefs Release WR Jeremy Maclin

June 2nd, 2017 at 6:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In a rather surprising move, the Chiefs announced that they’ve released wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.

“I’d like to thank Jeremy for his effort and dedication the past two seasons,” general manager John Dorsey said. “I have great respect for all players, which makes decisions like these very difficult, but we felt it was in the best interest of our club moving forward to part ways at this time. We wish Jeremy the best as he continues his career.”

Maclin, 29, posted a down season in 2016, missing four games with a groin injury and registering career-lows in both receptions and receiving yards. Additionally, Kansas City is tight on cap space, with just over $2MM available in funds at the moment. Maclin’s release will help alleviate the Chiefs’ fiscal situation, as the club will clear $10MM in cap room while assuming $2.4MM in dead money.

Even given those factors, the release of Maclin comes as a shock, as the veteran wideout was set to act as the Chiefs’ No. 1 pass-catcher in 2017. Signed to hefty contract just two years ago, Maclin had success during his first campaign with Kansas City in 2016, managing 87 catches for more than 1,000 yards and eight scores.

Without Maclin in the fold, the Chiefs’ wide receiving corps is extremely short on experience. Tyreek Hill was a revelation during his rookie season last year, but he acted as more of a gadget player than as a true No. 1 wide receiver. While Kansas City boasts an excellent tight end in Travis Kelce, the club’s other receivers are Chris Conley, rookie Jehu Chesson, De’Anthony Thomas, Demarcus Robinson, and Kenny Cook.

Maclin now becomes the clear top option among the free agent wide receiver class, as he joins the likes of Anquan Boldin, Steve Johnson, Eddie Royal, and Marquess Wilson on the open market.

Jeremy Maclin On Track To Play Thursday

December 6th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chiefs could see the return of one of their top offensive weapons this week, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reports Kansas City is “optimistic” that wide receiver Jeremy Maclin will be ready to play on Thursday night against the Raiders. Maclin, who has missed the past four games with a groin injury, has been a full practice participant in each of the past two days.

Kansas City fared well during Maclin’s quarter-season absence, posting a 3-1 record with impressive wins coming over the Panthers, Broncos, and Falcons. On Thursday night, however, the Chiefs will face their most important game to date, as they’ll go up against the division rival Raiders, who are currently leading the AFC West with a 10-2 mark. A Kansas City victory would give the Chiefs the division lead, as though both clubs would have the same record, KC would have won both head-to-head matchups and thus own the tiebreaker.

Upon his return, Maclin will rejoin a Chiefs’ receiving corps that includes recent breakout star Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley, Albert Wilson, De’Anthony Thomas, and Demarcus Robinson. In eight games this season, Maclin has registered 30 receptions for 376 yards and two touchdowns.

Justin Houston, Jeremy Maclin Out Sunday

November 11th, 2016 at 4:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Although the Chiefs activated linebacker Justin Houston from the physically unable to perform list Wednesday, he won’t play Sunday in Carolina, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com was among those to report (Twitter links). Houston has been recovering from an ACL injury that has kept him out all season, but he didn’t suffer a setback this week, per Teicher. Instead, the Chiefs want to give the pass-rushing force another week to work his way back.

Kansas City has impressively gone 6-2 without Houston, who has racked up 56 sacks and eight forced fumbles in 70 career games. Its defense could use a reinforcement, though, as it currently hovers around league average in DVOA (11th), yardage allowed (16th), quarterback hurries (20th) and sacks (21st). Four of the Chiefs’ final eight games are against AFC West foes, including a pair of matchups with the 6-3 Broncos, so Houston’s eventual return could make a significant impact in what should be a tightly contested division race.

In addition to Houston, the Chiefs won’t have No. 1 receiver Jeremy Maclin in Carolina, head coach Andy Reid said Friday (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Maclin left in the first quarter of the Chiefs’ game against the Jaguars last Sunday with a groin injury, but the team managed to pull off a 19-14 win without him and quarterback Alex Smith. The latter will be back in Kansas City’s lineup this week, but he’ll have to make do without the club’s top wideout. Among Chiefs, Maclin trails only tight end Travis Kelce in catches (30) and receiving yards (376). Maclin leads the team in targets (56) and has scored a pair of touchdowns.